3:15 AM
by Wonderstruck-Ambition
Summary: Austin finds out Ally's secret and vows to help her, but neither realized just how far they have to go. Repost- new chapters start at 14!
1. Like She's Flying

**Chapter 1: Like She's Flying**

**Disclaimer: In short, I don't own Austin and Ally. Thanks for making me say it you little meanies. (Just kidding, you guys are all sweethearts!) **

**Warnings: **Um I don't think there's TOO many...not that I'm aware of. Let's think here. Well it's darker than my usual stuff, but pretty much only at the beginning. I would also just like to say: _**I think Mr. Dawson is a very nice guy, but for the purposes of this story, he's pretty much a right jerk. **__Oh and this story is really AU. Like a lot. or at least very very OOC._

**Now we'll really get on with it!**

**Reposting! I'll do one chapter a day so as not to spam ya'll. The new chapter will be Chapter 14!**

**... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...**

I liked the feeling of the shower. For about ten minutes, I am alone, and nothing can hurt me. My mom used to say that showers were her happy place, because they were the one place she could be alone to actually _think. _For me, it was sort of the opposite. When I was in the shower, I didn't think. Thinking hurt too much. It meant that the things I had to think about could be magnified millions more times in my brain, and cause me pain, even there. But if I didn't think, I could ignore the pain for a little while. And I liked it that way.

Of course, it was usually cold water, but I'd grown used to it. My dad tended to use the hot water up. Only when he was gone did I get to take all the time and warm water in the world. When my mom was still here, he was always gone. His business was demanding- or at least, that's what he told us. But we were still happy. Some kind of delusional, naive, forced happy, but it was there. I had thought once Mom left that he would be gone even more, but I was wrong. He was at home all the time, usually typing on his laptop or watching the game. He used to be a workaholic, and he still was, to an extent. Except now he pushed all his store duties on me, and left the "business end" to himself. So pretty much, I worked for bare minimum and he did nothing and profitted. You know, the usual father-daughter business relationship.

Today had been one of his worse days. I got home and he hadn't even said a word to me before it began. Usually we at least could exchange some type of greeting before I did something wrong, but today I'd barely stepped a foot in the door before it happened. I didn't do anything wrong- not that I was aware of. Or maybe I had and just didn't know it. Obviously I had to have done something wrong for me to be in trouble like that. It's the only logical explanation.

The slam into the wall was a little rougher today. The punches were a little harder, the slaps had a little more force behind them than usual. I blamed myself, for letting the house and store become a total mess yesterday. After all, it was my job to keep them clean and orderly, and I'd failed at that.

_I failed at everything._

That's what he told me,

School.

Work.

Singing.

Writing.

Public speaking.

Making friends.

_Being alive._

I splashed my face with cold water and took a deep breath in. Just get through it, and you'll be fine, I tell myself. Just take a deep breath and appear as if it's normal. Never cry, you'll be fine. Never show pain, you'll be fine. Never cry, never cry.

Never cry.

That was my mantra. _Never cry. _It had been for years now, and so far it worked great. It was quite simple: no one ever saw me cry. Ever. Not when I was hurt, not when I was throwing up, I didn't cry. As Fergie says, _"Big girls don't cry." _And so I don't. Except when I'm around _him, _he makes me feel almost okay, and almost as if I can finally let all my walls down. I never do of course, but it's the feeling that I can. And quite honestly, it should scare me. It should frighten me to think that he makes me want to cry. But it's a good thing. No one else makes me feel like I can let my walls down, and he _does. _Never do I actually do it, though. And I never will.

"Allison?" My dad is calling again, this time his voice is softer, almost regretful. "You done in the shower, sweetheart?"

Better answer him now before he gets mad, "Yeah dad, be right out, and I'll start dinner!" I call, adding the dinner part because I know it's what he really wanted anyway.

"Great, thanks honey!" I hear his steps retreating from the stairs and back into the living room, and I let out a sigh of relief. At least I avoided a little more anger tonight.

Towelling off, my phone rings, and I see Austin wants to videochat. He can't see me like this! I panic and quickly press Ignore. He can never see me like this, it just would cause suspicion.

I always feel bad when I ignore his FaceTime requests, but the excuses are getting harder and harder to think of. They are narrowing more and more, and I can see his frustration getting through to him. But Austin will just have to wait to talk to me, because if he sees me, he'll freak out.

Slowly, I cover up the black eye with my makeup, making sure to not apply too much pressure, lest I yell out in pain. Slowly I even out my face until it looks close to normal again. I smile to myself in the mirror, but it comes out as more of a grimace. I sigh and walk downstairs, ready to make dinner, and I see my dad on the couch as usual.

"Hi dad," I whisper, so I don't scare him. That's been proven to set it off before. "What do you want for dinner?" I start getting out the ingredients for raviolies, but knowing him, he'll want chicken instead.

"Whatever," He says flippantly. "Just make it fast." So raviolies it is.

"Sure thing, Daddy," I say quietly, trying not to interrupt his viewing of the game.

"Ally, sweetheart, I hope you're not mad at me," He replies. "You know I love you very much and I never mean it, right?"

"Right daddy," I say quickly. "I know." He coughs, expecting more. "And I love you too."

"That's my girl."

**... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...**

_He doesn't mean it_

Of course he does! He's my dad, of course he loves me!

_If he loved you, he wouldn't hurt you._

But I deserve it.

_Would Austin say you deserve it?_

That's different, Austin isn't my dad.

_Yet he treats you better than your dad does._

And I'm having a conversation with myself, this is ridiculous! My dad loves me, he said so himself. It's just a black eye here, a bruised ribcage there. A spattering of bruises on my right arm, or a mark from a heavy piece of furniture on my leg. Nothing that can't be concealed. I'm lucky, really, that he doesn't do worse. These are all very small, nothing that is near-death. I've heard stories of people getting whipped, cut...it's awful. So my dad must love me, since he doesn't hurt me that badly.

A sigh here, a tear that wants to escape there, and I feel better. Or as best as I can feel under the circumstances.

_What would Austin say if he found out?_

Oh, he'd fly off the wall! He'd lose it. He'd go insane. He'd do something stupid, try and beat up my dad or worse. He'd...he'd...well he'd...

_He'd be just trying to protect you. That's what he'd do._

But that's what makes him such a good friend. To do that for me. To be the guy who would hurt the man who's hurting me, instead of be the one to hurt.

_Why does everything hurt?_

Deep breath. Shh, Ally, you're not hurt. Shh. You're going to be alright. Hush hush. Deep breath. You're not going to cry, Shh, your life is fine. You're lucky. Shh. Deep breath, nothing can hurt you now.

But how many more deep breaths can I take before I begin to hyperventilate? How many more tears can I hold back before I explode? How many times will I say I'm not hurt before I become numb to the pain?

_Why does everything hurt?_

I don't know. I just don't know.

"_It's time to be a big girl now, and big girls don't cry-" _I quickly answer my phone, silently freaking out.

"Austin?" I ask.

"Ally? Why didn't you answer any of my texts or calls? You had me worried sick!" I hear his voice in full-on panic mode and know he's being serious.

"I'm sorry, really I am! I've been cooking dinner for my dad, and then of course we had to eat it, and then I did the dishes, and then I took a shower, and the whole time my phone was in my room and-"

"Ally, it's fine, I was just worried, that's all." He breathes out a sigh of relief and I hear music in the background.

"You playing guitar?" I ask quietly. My dad isn't exactly Austin's biggest fan.

"Eh, just strumming. So what's up?" I chip at my silver nail polish as he talks, and soon there's none left on my ring finger.

"Pretty much what I just told you!" I laugh. "Cooking, eating, chores, homework...you know the drill. What about you?"

"I just had dinner. Hey, you wanna go out for ice cream?" He asks excitedly, and it hurts that I have to say no.

"Um, not tonight, I'm really sorry. But my dad, uh...he uh got an apple pie from a friend and we're going to eat it together," I fib. That was the most obvious lie I've ever said, and he had to notice. Not to mention lame. Apple pie? I've descended to a new low.

"Apple pie, huh? Sounds, uh, patriotic. Well have fun with that. See you tomorrow? Meet at your house?"

"Uh, I was wondering if maybe we could meet at your house this time? I've never been there you know," I say, pacing around my room. I've always wondered what his house is like, he's never let me over before.

"No, no!" He cries, then takes a breath and says more calmly, "No, uh let's meet at the diner instead, okay?"

"But why can't I-"

"Ally. I'll meet you at the diner. Okay?" I know I won't win this one, and I concede.

"Alright, alright, you win." I pull on my socks and crawl into my bed, tracing the flowers on the comforter. "See you tomorrow at ten?"

"Tomorrow at ten," He affirms, and we say our goodbyes. "And Ally?"

"Yeah?"

"Try not to get into any trouble between now and when I see you, alright? No fistfights, you hear me?" I gulp-does he know something? Impossible.

"Alright, I won't," I say quickly. "Good night, Austin."

"Night Alls."

I hang up my phone, only to stare at it a while longer. There's no way he can know about this, I've been so careful to never let anything slip between us. He must have just been joking; after all, he did have a kind of joking tone to his voice, right? Totally, he did. Yup. That's it.

I catch a sight of myself in the mirror and yelp- how am I going to hide my eye from him tomorrow? It's swelled even larger than normal!

This does not bode well.

**... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...**

I push my way into the diner, keeping my head down. I thought I did an okay job of covering up my eye this morning, but you never know. Austin is really perceptive; he notices even the littlest details. He noticed when I switched my braid from left to right. He noticed when I swapped out my earrings. He noticed when Tilly Thompson's shoes got a mud stain on the toes; of course, she _was _complaining for hours about it, but still. He noticed.

I slide into the booth and pull out my phone to kill time. There's nothing to do, really, except Instagram, but I don't get why Trish loves it so much. "Better than Facebook!" She had exclaimed at the time, and promptly signed me up. I never really use it, since it's filled with bad pictures of annoying girls like Tilly.

"Ally?" I hear Austin's voice from above me and I look up, smiling.

"Austin!" I jump up and hug him, careful to mind my bruises. If I wince too much, he'll notice and ask questions. God, I hate the questions.

"Ally! What do you want to do today?" He slides in across from me, and seems to stare at my face longer than usual. It can't be the eye. It can't.

"I don't know," I shrug. "Want to walk around the mall?"

"Not really," He says. "We did that yesterday. How about we catch a movie?" He suggests, and I wrinkle my nose. There's no good movies out anyway.

"How about we go to the boardwalk?" I say instead. "We haven't been in a while."

"Better idea!" Austin exclaims, practically jumping out of his seat.

"What?" I say just as enthusiastically. It's nice to have something to do for a change.

"Tell me what happened to your eye," He says seriously, dropping his fun tone for a serious one.

I freeze, my mouth staying around the straw of my cup. I blink, not once but twice, and decide to just stay still as a statue. But then a nanosecond later, I realize that would probably be suspicious, wouldn't it? So I take my last sip and swallow, and say, "I got hit with a volleyball."

"You got hit with a volleyball," He states skeptically.

"Yep," I lie. "I was walking along the beach yesterday with Trish and we walked past the courst and a serve went wrong and I was in the wrong place at the wrong time."

"I thought you and Trish hadn't talked in a long time?" He asks, and he knows it's the truth. "She's been too busy with her boyfriend, you said."

"Well we kind of met up," I fib, "And she was walking towards her date and I tagged along."

"Ah. I see," He says, and we both know he doesn't believe me. "Just glad it wasn't from a punch or anything. Because then we'd have to have a talk, you know that, right?"

I duck my head from his stare and nod. "Yes," I say quietly. "I know."

"Ally," He starts warningly, "Just-"

"Austin, I'm telling the truth!" I cry. "I promise!" Of course, this promise really means nothing, but, well...you know.

"Alright!" He says, throwing his hands up in the air. "I just want you to know that if anything is ever happening to you, _you can tell me." _His hand reaches across the table and grabs my chin, forcing me to look at him. "I'm always here, you know that."

"Yes, yes I do," I stutter. "And I've already told you that I would tell you if something really, really, bad was happening to me."

"Alright, I trust you," He says, letting go of my face. "So what do you really want to do today?"

"Want to just...just be?" I suggest. "Just be."

"Just be?" He laughs. "What do you mean?" His hand traces the intricate pattern on the back of the menu and I see the crinkle in his forehead, which only happens when he's smiling.

"You know, just be calm, and just be...just be us. Just _be._" I smile at my words, and I see he does too.

"You're so silly sometimes, you know that?" He throws some change down for his milkshake that never arrived and we get up. "Let's go. I hear there's a two-for-one special down at the cell phone accessory cart."

"Well you know how much I love a two-for-one special," I say seriously as we walk out. "Twofer!"

"Again, you're so weird sometimes." We push out into the sunlight and pass Billl-with three l's- and wave slightly.

"Hey, you said silly the first time, not weird!" I protest as we walk around, trying to make sure no one sees my eye too well.

"You're both!" He cries. "You're silly and weird and funny and crazy and-"

"-a failure," I fill in automatically, then catch myself. "Uh, I mean..."

"Ally, why'd you say that?" He asks quizzically, and I see the worry in his eyes. "Why do you do that, huh? Why are you always putting yourself down?"

"I'm...well you know, I mean..."

"Ally." He grabs me by the shoulders and looks straight into my eyes. "You. Are. Not. A. Failure. And you need to remember that. Whoever tells you that, or lets you believe that, they're the one who's a failure. A failure at being able to see smart, beautiful, _perfect _people when they come around." He runs his thumb pads over my shoulders and I breathe in and out slowly.

"Austin," I whisper. "I...never mind. Thanks." I shrug his shoulders off and continue walking.

"Ally? Please don't walk away. What the hell is going on with you lately? You're so...well I don't know, but I want you to tell me."

"Nothing is going on, Austin!" I cry. "I...nothing. I think I might have the flu or something."

"But it's summer," Austin protests, and I know he's not going to give this up easily.

"Summer flu?" I say, but it comes out more like a question than anything.

"Right. Summer flu. This wouldn't have anything to do with how puffy your eye looks, would it?" This kid is too damn observant, I'll tell you that right off the bat.

"Austin, I'm fine, alright? Can we just go do something now, please?" I grab his hand and tug him forward, not sure where we're going, but we're going somewhere. Somewhere away from this conversation.

"I thought you wanted to just be," He says with confusion in his voice.

"Well I changed my mind!" I snap, then soften my tone when I see his shocked face. "I mean, let's do as much as we can before summer ends."

"As much as we can before summer ends?" He asks, and I know he's dropped the conversation for a little bit.

"Yup. We've gotta jampack this summer with, um, fun!" I ad lib, and jump a little bit, feigning excitement,

"Ally, you're so fickle!" He laughs. "One day you want to just relax all summer and the next you want to do everything all before school starts. Which, by the way, is in two weeks, so we've wasted all summer, smart one!" He laughs but takes my hand and pulls me towards the arcade. "Guess we can start here."

"Sounds good," I agree, and begin to kick his butt at air hockey.

**... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...**

"So, you excited for school?" Austin asks over snow-cones. "Finally upperclassmen. And you're going to turn seventeen finally!"

"I am excited to be seventeen," I admit. "One year closer to eighteen. But I won't be seventeen until January*, so..."

"Well...anyway, know where you want to go to college?" He asks, slurping up the last of his snowcone and throwing it away. "Any ideas?"

"I don't really know...I mean, I want to stay close, but at the same time, I want to move far, far away!" I spread my arms out and twirl around in the middle of the park. "I want to fly like a bird, soar far away from all this. Except you, of course," I add hastily. "I don't want to be so far from you."

"I don't want to be far from you, either, but we need to agree that we won't pick any colleges based on each other, alright? I don't want to influence your decision, and have you end up bitter and hating me because you skipped out on something you want." He grabs my hands as I twirl and spins me around sloppily, like five year olds might as they dance.

"I promise I won't choose my college solely based on you!" I laugh as we trip over each others' feet. "Hey! You got snowcone on my shirt!"

"You deserved it," He singsongs. "You're the one twirling around in the middle of a public park like a silly little kid. What would your father say?" He asks in mock disproval. "He'd be so dissapointed."

"My dad!" I cry, standing straight up. "My dad! That reminds me! I've got to go, I have to start dinner and I have to-" I turn to walk home and Austin grabs my hand.

"Ally, you're sixteen, not forty-six, so why are you acting like a housewife, huh? You're a teenager, you need to have fun!"

"I've got to go home-" I say, tugging away. "Meet same time tomorrow?"

"Ally. It's only six o clock, for God's sake, you can stay out for ten minutes longer." Austin cocks an eyebrow at my frantic tugging and fast pace. "Ally? Is something wrong?"

"No! I just promised my dad I'd get home, and-" I tug harder. "Let go! Okay!"

He drops my arm in surprise and backs away. "Oh-okay. Alright, uh, let's get you home," He says quietly, and we begin the walk home in silence.

Five minutes later, we're at my door and her turns to go home. "Austin!" I call, running after him. "I forgot something!"

"What?" He asks, not meeting my eyes. I can practically see the wheels in his mind turning as he thinks over what's been happening, namely, my crazy mood swings and secrecy.

"Thanks for an awesome day," I say as I hug him. "Love you."

"I love you too," He says, squeezing tight, and I try not to wince. "See you tomorrow, Same time, same place, whole new day."

"Same time, same place, whole new day," I repeat quietly as he walks away. Smiling to myself, I open and shut the door- only to be met with the red and angry face of my dad.

This does not look good.

**... ... ... ... ... **

The back of his hand was rough against my still-sore cheek and I gasped. "Dad! What did I-"

"When were you supposed to be home?" He demanded roughly. "Tell me!"

"Six, but-" I stammered, only to be interrupted.

"No buts. When were you supposed to be home?" He asked again, face still as red as a tomato. Or maybe Santa Claus' suit. I'm not so sure.

"Six," I muttered.

"And what time is it now?" He asked, pointing my head towards the timer on the oven, which read 6:34.

"6:30," I said, then added, "Well, 6:34."

"Are you being smart with me?" He asked, giving me another little shake. "Huh? I told you six o clock and you come waltzing in here a half hour later as if you're the Queen Of England! Well you know what, you aren't! I have it on good authority that the Queen of England is named Elizabeth! And last time I checked you weren't named Elizabeth, so what does that mean?" He shouted, throwing his arms in the air as he stalked around the kitchen.

"What does it mean?" I sighed, knowing he'd just tell me anyway.

"It _means, Allison,_ that you are _not _the Queen of England, which means you can _not _come waltzing in here like you are!" He screamed, face even redder now. "I told you to be in by six o clock every night, and you _weren't! _You were with that idiot blonde friend of yours, weren't you? _Weren't you?"_

"Yes, yes I was!" I admitted, seeing how angry he was when I didn't answer the first time. "I was with Austin, we were in the park, and we were-"

"I don't want to know what you two were doing down in the park, you little slut," He muttered. "Just make dinner, I have to leave by 7:30." He began walking away and pointed to the mess of dishes in the sink. "And clean that up."

"W-where are you going?" I asked, trying not to cry over the fact my dad had called me a _slut._

"It's none of your business, but since you obviously _need _to go about making yourself the most annoying thing on the planet today, I'm going out with Jay and William, we're going out for drinks. Won't be back until late, don't wait up for me," He mumbled as he walked out of the kitchen.

I waited until I heard the door to the bathroom click closed before sliding down the counter and onto the floor, checking my latest bruises. I'm sure the one on my cheek was even worse than usual, according to the already purple bruises on my forearm. _Great. _This should be fun to cover up and try to explain to Austin tomorrow.

_Austin. _Shit, he's going to blow up if he sees more bruises on me. He's already pissed about my eye, but the new stuff on top of it? He's not going to be a pretty sight tomorrow. Of course, neither will I, but I haven't been a pretty sight in quite some time.

The ravioli water boils over and I rush to clean it up before my dad hears the sizzling and yells about the mess. He could find anything to yell about, really, he could. The house, the store, the way dinner was made. Anything and everything, and I always got the brunt of it. My mom used to be the first one to see him in the morning, and I'd always complain that he was so cranky, but she'd simply shake her head and say, "You don't know the half of it, dear."

Now I do.

He was getting worse and worse. It used to be few and far between, the times he'd hit me, and they usually seemed accidental. But they weren't; they aren't. And then they started becoming less and less of an "accident" and more and more on purpose. And then they started happening at least twice a week, and now, every night.

I was getting so _tired. _

Tired of my home life.

Tired of my dad.

Tired of lying to Austin.

Tired of feeling so worthless.

But I kept going. Why, I'm not sure. Maybe for the sole reason that I'm a dreamer, a believer, a person with hope. Maybe for the fact that I'll be out of here in two years, and then I can be as far away from my dad as I want. Once I'm in college, he won't be able to hurt me. I'll be far away. flying high like a bird. Soaring through the sky, weightless, limitless, free.

_Free._

I kind of like the sound of that.

**... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...**

**AN: *I know it's not January, but I made her birthday January for story purposes. So we can all deal with it;) ***

**So I know this is way darker than what I usually write, and I feel kind of bad for making Lester the bad guy, but, well, that's the story. And besides, he's nice in my other stuff, so. Yup. Anyay, in case you didn't figure it out: Ally's dad hits her, he always apologizes afterwards, but obviously he's not very sorry. She hasn't told Austin, but she will very soon. Or actually, he'll find out. Or maybe someone else will tell him. Who knows? That's the magic of me knowing and you not! Oh, that was mean, I feel bad.**

**Well anyway, please review, stay safe, and be happy!**

**xx**


	2. Double A Batteries

**Chapter 2: Double A Batteries**

**Disclaimer: So I obviously own Austin and Ally. **

**Also, little note, there will be times where I will change POVs and sometimes where I won't...sorry if you hate POV changes.**

**/Austin/**

"Why don't you just invite her over?" Dez asks as he lays on my bed, throwing a bouncy ball up to the ceiling. "It's not that big of a deal."

We're trying to avoid the heatwave by sitting inside with the fans on full blast and our mouths drowning in ice cream and popsicles. "It _is _a big deal, though," I protest. "A very big deal." I smash a pillow over my face but take it off due to the immediate heat it causes. "A very big deal."

"Why is it a big deal, man?" Dez laughs, trying to wrap his head around my misery. "Seriously. It's Ally. You're good friends, you've known each other for a really long time now, it shouldn't be a big deal to bring your best friend over to your house. After all, I'm here." He spins the little mini fan around and around his neck trying to cool his head down, but it slows down, running out of battery. "There goes another one."

"I'll get you another set of batteries, hang on," I reach into my desk drawer and feel around for two AA batteries and finally clasp my hand around two. "And it just is a big deal."

"But why?" Dez persists. "Give me one good reason why it's such a big deal to have Ally over." He sists up and stares me in the eyes, knowing I never win a staring contest with him.

"Because, Dez! Have you seen my house?" I yell, gesturing around the small apartment. "It's nothing like her house, in a comfortable neighborhood, living a comfortable lifestyle, living on a comfortable acre or two. And then I'm here, living in an apartment with my mother and crazy uncle, and holding on to a pipe dream of being famous. See the difference between us?" This time I do bury my head under a pillow and keep it there. "There's a big difference between us."

"There's not that much of a difference between you guys," Dez rebuts gently. "You're both kind, you're both smart, you're both good people. And as long as you're good people, I don't think it matters what kind of houses you two have, as long as you're good people, and you're still good friends. See my point?" He throws the bouncy ball at my head and laughs.

"Not...really. No. I don't. What does being a good person have to do with the fact that I'm poor?" I sit up and complain, adding another fan to my face. "I don't even have air conditioning!"

"There's plenty of rich people who really aren't good people. You may not be insanely rich or whatever, but you have a good, big heart and that's what's important." Dez takes a swig of his lemonade and throws another bouncy ball at me.

"You sound like a cheesy Lifetime movie, I hope you know that." I get up when I hear the washing machine go off and wave for Dez to follow me so we can continue our conversation. "A _really_ cheesy Lifetime movie."

"Hey, I like Lifetime movies from time to time!" Dez cries. "Sometimes you just want to curl up with ice cream and Lifetime, okay?" I eye my friend warily as I transfer the whites to the dryer and he backtracks. "My mom watches them a lot, okay?"

I hit the dryer to close it and we walk back to sit on the couch, flicking on the TV. "We're not watching Lifetime," I warn, and instead turn on an old rerun of Friends. "Look, I just don't want Ally to see my place, okay?"

"Austin! You home baby?" My mom's voice floats through the front door and she walks in a few seconds later.

"Hey mom," I call. "I invited Dez over, can he stay for dinner?"

She comes in and gives each of us a kiss on her head, ruffling our hair. "Hi sweetheart," she says to me, then gives Dez an extra pat on the head. "Of course you can stay for dinner dear, it's spagghetti night, I'm making my special sauce," She singsongs and sits down on the edge of the couch with us.

"I'm always game for spagghetti night," Dez laughs and points to the TV. "Dude, you can see Monica's collarbones. That's creepy."

"I used to love Friends when it was on the first time," my mom says tiiredly and gets up. "I'm just going to take a nap before dinner, then I'll start it. Sound good?" She yawns and heads to her room.

"I'll make it mom," I call after her, and she stops to smile at me. Turning around, she pinches my cheeks and rubs her nose against mine. Every day since I was four she's done this, and I always try my hardest not to show my annoyance.

"You're such a good boy Austin," She says. "You're going to make a girl a good husband some day."

"Thanks mom," I say quietly, and kiss her on the cheek. "Go take a nap. You look like you need it."

She kisses me once more and pats Dez on the shoulder. "I'll be awake for dinner, if I'm not, just wake me up. Uncle Richie's going to be home in half an hour."

I nod and wave her off to her room, walking off to the kitchen.

"She seems tired," Dez observes, and hops up on the counter. "She been working a lot or something?"

"Yeah," I reply. "She took an extra shift at the restaurant and she does laundry for some of the residents," I say, pouring water into the pot and heating it up.

"You've got a great mom though, man. She's not bad at all." Dez grabs an apple from the bowl and takes a huge bite, chewing as he talks. "At least your mom cares about you. I know plenty of people whose moms don't even know where they are half the time."

"Like yours?" I joke, and he nods along.

"Please, my mom doesn't care about anything but herself," He says sourly. "All she cares about is her tennis club, her book club, and not gaining a single pound. Oh the life of Mrs. Fisher," He sighs and turns back to his apple.

"Hey, I'm sure she cares about you, she's just...well...you know..." I trail off and stare at the pot, waiting for it to boil. "Why won't this thing boil for God's sake?"

"It's only been two minutes, calm it down," Dez laughs. "You're the most impatient person I-"

"It's not boiling!" I cry. "Why is this not boiling?"

"Jeez, anger management issues," Dez mutters. "Be quiet, your mom is trying to sleep."

"I know, I know," I say quietly. "It's just been a long week and all." The water finally begins to boil and I pour the noodles in. "Hand me the olive oil, would you?"

Dez complies and clears his throat. "I've got a suggestion. Just invite Ally and her dad over for dinner. That wouldn't be all that bad, would it?"

"Oh cuz I'm really inviting Mr. Dawson over here so he can find yet another reason to hate me. That would go over _real _well." I stir the noodles around and sit back and wait. "He already hates that Ally and I hang out so much, he doesn't want to be around me _any _longer than normal."

"But your mom really wants to meet Ally, she never has before. And you know Ally wants to meet your mom, she's asked plenty of times before!" Dez waggles the stirring spoon in my face. "It wouldn't be that bad."

"Dez, have you met my family?" I sigh and slump against the counter. "Have you _met _my uncle?"

Dez nods slowly and spends some time thinking of his answer. "I have met your Uncle. And you know what, he's a cool guy. Uncle Richie is not that bad."

"Dez. He thinks he's a player for the Red Sox. We live in Miami! He thinks he's the pitcher; he eats sunflower seeds every minute of the day, and he cracks walnuts on people's heads. How is he 'not that bad?'" I'm almost shouting, and I'm gripping the sppon so tight my knuckles are white.

"So he's a little...eccentric. That's not bad. Nobody's really normal if you think about it, he's just a little less normal than others. That makes sense, doesn't it?" Dez pours a little more olive oil in the pot and stirs the noodles once more.

"Dez. He cracks _walnuts _on people's _heads. _He thinks he plays for the _Red Sox!_ That is not normal!"

"And Ally loves walnuts, and I'm sure she doesn't hate the Red Sox either," Dez says optimistically. "Ally is pretty much the nicest person ever, I'm sure she would get along just fine with Uncle Richie." He throws his bouncy ball from hand to hand and thinks.

"Dez. I think you get along way too well with my Uncle for your own good." I taste a noodle and decide it's not ready yet. "Hand me the strain-"

"AUSTIN! We won the game today!" Uncle Richie's voice floats through the apartment and I sigh, grabbing a bag of walnuts from the pantry.

"In here, Uncle Richie!" I call, and I see his head pop around the corner. "Austin! Dez! How you boys doing?"

"Uncle Richie!" Dez cries, throwing his arms out. "How you doing?"

"Dez! How _you _doing?" Uncle Richie mirrors back, and gives him a hug, slapping him on the back. "Good to see you around!"

"You too!" Dez laughs. "How was your game?" Dez is probably the only person I know who talks to Uncle Richie like he actually does play baseball. He really works at the movie theater and listens to baseball podcasts all day. But whatever makes the man happy I guess.

"Great! We won, 83! Hey Austin, got any walnuts for me?" I toss him the bag and he ruffles my hair. "You're the best, gotta love you kid. Hey, where's my little sister?" He asks, referring to my mom.

"She's taking a nap, gotta be quiet," I remind, pouring the spagghetti into the strainer. "We'll wake her up for dinner, kay?"

Uncle Richie nods and puts a finger over his lips to signal he'll be quiet- fat chance. The man can't be silent for more than-

"How long before dinner, nephew o' mine?" I turn around to see Dez and my uncle already dealing cards.

"Ten, twenty minutes, okay?" I pour the strained pasta back in the pot to keep it warm and start on the sauce. I don't really know how to make it, but it makes my mom happy when I try, so I do it to appease her.

"Tomatoes, basil..." I mutter to myself. "I am never going to be a chef. Never."

"I see your Juicy Fruit and I raise you a walnut," I hear Uncle Richie say and I roll my eyes. When Dez and Uncle Richie play food poker, it gets intense. Last time, I ended up cleaning gum and jawbreakers from the floor and walls for an hour.

"I see your walnuts and I raise you a Hershey's!" Dez cries.

"Oh no you didn't!" Richie gasps, and I slump over the pasta. It's going to be a long night.

/

"This was delicious sweetheart," My mom begins the dishes and shoots me a smile. "Thanks for making it."

"No problem Mom. You looked tired, I didn't have anything to do anyway." I stack the dishes in the sink and turn to Dez. "You staying over tonight?"

"I should probably go home," He shrugs. "It'd probably be best. Haven't seen my dad in a while..."

"So you're staying?" I ask again, and he nods. "Thought so. I'll get my sleeping bag out."

"So have you given any more thought to inviting Ally over?" Dez brings up suddenly, and my mom turns around.

"You're inviting Ally over? Oh how sweet! I've always wanted to meet the girl you're constantly going on about; she seems like such a sweetheart! Ooh, I'll make my chicken, with my famous glaze. Oh, and mashed potatoes..." My mom trails off, silently meal-planning in her head.

"No, mom, I'm-" I start, but Dez elbows me in the ribs and I groan. "Ow. What was that for?"

"Don't ruin this for your mom," He whispers. "I haven't seen her this excited in months."

I hate to admit it, but he's right. There's a knock on our door and my mom towels her hands off, going to answer it. "Coming!" She calls.

"Mimi! My garbage disposal is broken, think you can come take a look at it?" It's Louisa, my mom's best friend in the apartment building- also the loudest, and most annoying. But who am I to judge?

"Sure dear, let me just tell my son really quick..." She pops back into the kitchen, which is all of two feet from the door, and waves goodbye. "Austin, gotta go fix a garbage disposal. Can you do the dishes honey? I know you cooked, but..." She shoots me an apologetic glance and I wave her off again.

"Don't worry about it Mom. No problem, go fix the sink." She thanks me and I hear the door click turning back to the dishes. "Dishes. My least favorite thing."

"You know, for a teenage guy, your mom lucked out in sons," Dez observes. "You're a nice guy, Austin."

"That's just what I want to hear Dez," I mutter and scrub the first dish of many. "Yup. Definitely. Dez, I think I hate my life."

"Why would you say that, man?" Dez cleans up the card game he and Uncle Richie abandoned an hour ago and scoops up the Jawbreakers. "You have a great life."

"Dez. I'm a teenage guy, I spent my Saturday night cooking and cleaning. And you spent the night playing cards with my disturbed uncle. No offense to Uncle Richie or anything, but he's not exactly Saturday night material." I wipe the sauce off the dish furiously and drop it back into the sink.

"Austin, I think you're losing it," Dez says slowly. "Just calm down."

I just nod and continue scrubbing out the pasta dish. "Calm. I'm calm. Very, very calm."

"Oh yes, you're definitely calm," Dez snorts. "So your mom seems excited Ally's coming over-"

"She's not." I turn around and look Dez in the eye. "Ally will not be coming here anytime soon. Got it?"

"She's never been here Austin, and you've known her for years! You've known me for years, too, why are you okay with me being over and not Ally?" Dez walks over and picks up a sponge to start helping me.

"Why do you care so much anyway?" I ask, avoiding the question entirely.

"Because I have a lot of fun at your house-" Dez starts.

"-Apartment," I interrupt, and he glares at me. "Sorry, continue."

"_Because _I have a lot of fun at your _house_, and I know Ally would too. She's probably the sweetest person in the world, she wouldn't care if you lived under a freaking _bridge_ because she's your friend for you. Not your money," Dez states, and finishes as if he's given me all of life's knowledge on a silver platter.

"But I..." I start, and Dez is the one to interrupt me for a change.

"Don't you want your mom to meet Ally?" Dez tries and looks me in the eye. "Huh?"

"Well, uh..." I stammer. "Well..."

"You don't want your mom to meet Ally." He states, and it's no longer a question.

"Dez, it's not that-"

"Are you ashamed of Ally?" Dez asks suddenly, and I double-take.

"No! "No! That's not it!" I cry, shooting up. "I'm not ashamed of her," I add quietly.

"Oh I see, you're just ashamed of your mother, your uncle, your family!"

"No, I'm not!" I protest, but it's in vain, he just keeps talking.

"I've got it, I've got it. You're ashamed of the fact that you're poor. Well I'm ashamed of you. You've got a mother, you've got an uncle-" Dez seems to think better of himself and shakes his head, continuing on."You've got a roof over your head, that's all you need."

Dez leans back and folds his arms, aware that he's backed me into a corner. "Well?"

"It's just, Ally's like...well she's like...she's sort of...she's...well she's..." I trail off and ignore the dishes. "Well she's got a perfect life. She's definitely not a girl from around here. You know the kind of people who live in this apartment building? Not the kind of people Ally associates with." I start stacking the dishes in the cupboard and Dez stands exactly where he is, knowing he's-for once- right.

"She associates with you," He says obviously. "And she doesn't seem to mind you at all."

"Yeah, but I'm not..." I stop my sentence for fear of sounding like a jerk and start over. "I try really hard to not seem at all like I'm from here. Ally lives in a five bedroom house; she's going to come here and sit down in the living room and ask my mom where Austin's room is, and I'm going to have to say 'You're standing in it!'" I gesture to the fold-out couch and Dez nods.

"So you don't have your own bedroom, no big deal!" He says. "I'm sure there's nothing wrong with that. You think Ally's gonna dump you for not having your own bedrrom? You're more messed up than-"

"Uncle Richie," I finish. "I'm turning into a basket case." I finish the dishes and we retreat back to the couch.

"You're not turning into a basket case," Dez says reassuringly. "You're just embarassed, that's all. And that's fine, everyone gets embarassed from time to time."

"People get embarassed because their moms say stupid stories from when they were little, or because they take tons of pictures. Not because their _uncle _smashes walnuts on their heads and because their bedroom is the living room. Let's face it, I-"

"Have a great life and a great family, and you need to be more grateful for it. So shut up, stop your damn whining, and realize Ally's going to be your friend no matter what." Dez hops up to change, leaving me to my thoughts.

"He smashes _walnuts _on people's heads," I whisper to myself. "_Walnuts."_

/

"Hey Austin," Ally smiles at me and we start walking towards Sonic Boom. "Actually, can we not go there, please?" She whispers, and I shoot her a strange look.

"Why not? We always hang out there." I point towards the music store and she shakes her head.

"Please? Another day, just not today." She turns around and I rush to follow her.

"Ally! Wait up! You're...hey! Hey wait up!" I catch up to her and breathe heavily. "Hey, why'd you run off like that?"

"I just didn't want to go to-"

"Your dad was working there today, wasn't he?" I guess, and her eyes widen. "Oh, I was right. You're avoiding your dad. Why?"

"I'm not avoiding my dad," She rebutts weakly. "I just don't want to see him."

"Ally...you should tell me what's going on. Or we're going to have a serious talk," I warn, crossing my arms over my chest. "Ally, what's going-"

"I have to go," She whispers. "See you tomorrow."

She runs off before I can stop her, and I'm left standing alone on the sidewalk, wondering what the heck has just happened.

/

**A/N: So...yeah. Um...yeah. This chapter was alright, I actually kind of liked the conversation between Austin and Dez towards the end. Please review, stay safe and be happy.**

**xx**


	3. Look At The Boys In Leather

**Chapter 3: Look At The Boys In Leather**

**Disclaimer: I still don't own the show smart ones. I also don't own the TV show I mention there, Boy Meets World, which is really good and you should watch it. The episode they watch is called **_**Dangerous Secret **_**and this fic was partially based on it, so yup.**

So here's chapter tres. Everyone loves chapter 3.

/Ally/

"Mr. Dawson? Is Ally around?" I woke up when the doorbell rang at 8 this morning and heard Austin's voice float through my house. What was he doing here?

"She's asleep," My dad replies gruffly, not masking the contempt he has for Austin. "Come back later."

"But-" Austin starts, but I bet he thinks better of himself and instead shuts up. "Well do you know when she'll be awake?"

"Listen kid," My dad starts, and I can hear the impatience in his voice. "Ally is my daughter which means I know what's best for her. And what's best for her is not you, okay? You're just a boy, a stupid boy who distracts her from her work." I gasp and cover my mouth, though they can't hear me from up here. I just know Austin won't take this well.

"No offense, sir, but I think you're wrong," He says, and I cringe. Wrong thing to say! Not smart, not smart. "Because Ally is the best friend I've ever had, and you should know I treat her very well."

I can imagine them leaning against the door jams and staring each other down. With the tough tone of his voice, maybe Austin's wearing that leather jacket he likes so much. My dad would still be in his pajamas, coffee mug in hand. Or maybe at this rate, a beer.

"Very well. Likely story," My dad snorts, and I know neither of them is going to back down now.

"I do. Better than most in fact." Austin's voice doesn't have a hint of worry; all it is is confidence and a little annoyance.

"You're not good for her," my dad rebuts. "She's always out late when she's with you, and I don't like that." I hear some shuffling and think maybe he brought Austin inside, but think again. That's too friendly for my dad.

"I know you get angry with her," Austin says, voice unwavering. "I heard the shouting a few days ago."

There's a tense silence, and you could cut the tension with a knife. After a pause my dad speaks, and I know he's pissed beyond belief. What has Austin done?

"You heard shouting."

"Yes sir I did. And I don't really know what's going on, but I'm just warning you. You'd better not dream of doing anything to that girl, you understand me?"

Austin's 6 feet would be towering over dad's 5'7" right about now, and both faces would be angry but calm, due to the fact that there was no shouting yet.

"You accusing me of hurting my daughter, kid?" My dad asks, and I can tell he's doing a lot to keep his anger in check. I hear someone take a step or two forward, and I assume its Austin.

"Wouldn't dream of it sir," he says evenly. "Just telling you it better not happen-ever. Or we will have some problems. That's all."

"You're threatening me," My dad replies. "Little kids like you shouldn't threaten adults."

"Lucky for me," Austin says, and I can tell he's on his way out. "I stopped being a kid a long time ago."

The door slams shut and I heave a sigh of relief. So Austin didn't die; that's a plus. So he angered my dad and probably ended our whole friendship on the spot; minus.

"Allison, get up!" My dad's footsteps pound on the stairs and I hide back under the covers, pretending not to be awake.

"Allison."

_Hiding hiding hiding._

"Get your lazy ass up."

_I'm ignoring you._

"GET UP!"

I burrow deeper into my bed and try not to shake.

"Get your lazy, ungrateful ass up this minute or you'll wish you'd never been born," My dad says from the doorway and I slowly roll over.

"I'm up, I'm up," I mutter.

"Now," He grunts and I shoot up.

"Hi daddy," I say sweetly. "How are you? Good morning." I figure the nicer I am, the less trouble I'm in.

"Don't you good morning me. You know who was over here this morning? Do you?" He shakes my shoulders and I shrink back.

"Um...Mrs. Matthews from next door?" I try, knowing he'll tell me anyway.

"No. Your little idiot friend Dustin or whatever the hell his name is." He glares in my eyes and continues. "And do you know what he came over here for? Do you?"

"No," I lie, whispering. "I don't."

"He was here to threaten me because he thinks I'm hitting you. Where would he get an idea like that, huh?" He shouts. "Where would he get that idea?"

I'm backed against the wall now and I try hard not to shake. "I didn't tell him anything, I promise! I promise, please don't hurt me!"

A slap to my face is my only answer. "You liittle slut, you told him!" He slaps me again, and my cheek starts to sting.

"No, no I didn't!" I cry, cradling my cheek. "I promise I never told him a thing, I told you!" He shakes my shoulders, expecting me to answer, but all it does is bang my head against the wall.

"Well you lied; you lied and you're gonna pay for that." He kicks my shins and I gasp at how much it hurts.

"Dad-" Shove, slap, kick.

"He thinks something's going on here, and the only person who could have told him was you, you little slut!" Punch to my arm, hard slaps to the face.

"Daddy, I'm not a s-" I'm interrupted by a shove to the ground and I hit my head on the desk on the way down.

"Stop acting innocent!" He shoves me hard against the wall behind me and I flinch.

"But Dad!" He throws another punch, this one to my cheek, and I come close to crying.

_Never cry, never cry. My mantra's not working..._

"Crying! Feel guilty cuz you tattled to your little bum of a friend?" He pulls me back up by my wrists and glares at me.

"D-dad," I sniffle, my whole body sore, and this isn't even the worst I've ever had.

He throws me to the ground again and I take a (considerably) light kick to my stomach.

"N-no, Dad, p-please-"

"You're not seeing him anymore, never again. You're staying here and you're going to work, that's it. Do you understand me?" Slap. Shove.

"Dad-" He shoves the books off my desk and papers go flying; my glass paperweight shatters. Slap. Hard.

My dad glances to the mess he made and then to me, crumpled on the floor, and sneers his face in disgust. "Clean that up."

He leaves and I try not to cry as I gather the mess up from my floor.

_Ring ring ring ring._

Ring ring ring ring.

Ring ring ring ring.

...

_Austin, would you stop calling? I can't answer you...  
_  
_Ring ring ring ring._

I sniffle and ignore his latest call as I reorganize my books for this year and vaccuum up the glass shards. "I can't talk to you right now, would you stop calling?"  
_  
Ring ring ring ring ring ring.  
_  
"Ally. Make dinner, I'm getting hungry."

"F-fine Dad, I'll b-be right down." I spent all day up in my room, alternating between cleaning, ignoring my dad, and dodging Austin's calls.

"Now! I'm going out with the guys at 8, so I'd like to have eaten, oh, a half hour ago." Sarcasm, he's in a slightly better mood.

"Coming," I call and run down the stairs. "You want chicken?"

"Chicken's fine, just make it now." I peek into the living room, and surprise surprise, he's on the couch with a beer. Judging by the amount of cans next to the couch, it's his seventh today.

I have dinner ready in ten minutes; oh the magic of the microwave and reheating leftovers.

"Here you go Daddy," I put his plate on the table in front of him. "Hope you like it."

I plate up my own dinner and take it silently to my room. No surprise, there's two more missed calls from Austin.

_"Hey Ally, I came over today and talked to your dad...I think he's pretty pissed at me, he said not to see you anymore...would you just answer my call and we can talk?"_

"Hey Ally, so it's me again...just call me back please?"

"Ally, are you okay? Are you okay with your dad? I may have said some things to your dad he may not have exactly agreed with...I'm, uh, just call me back please?"

I sigh and decide to call him up, shaking the entire time I dial.

"Ally!" He answers on the first ring and I sigh in relief. "Ally! Why haven't you called me back?"

"Austin," I say quietly. "I'm sorry, I've been busy." I quietly cut up some of my chicken and lean back into my chair.

"Ally, you had me worried!" I roll my eyes and push my peas around the plate.

"Austin, I'm fi-"

"Don't say you're fine. Something's going on, and I want to know what it is!" His voice reverberates through the phone and I pull it away from my ear. "Ally, you know what your dad and I talked about?"

_Yes_.

"No?"

"You want me to tell you?" _No_.

"Austin-"

"I told him not to hurt you," He says quickly. "That I heard shouting when I brought you home late. And that I didn't like it."

"Austin, he was just angry, that's all," I say through my teeth. "Nothing to worry about."

"You saying 'Dad, stop!' isn't what I'd consider 'nothing to worry about.'" He heard that?

"He was, um, tickling me?" I say unsurely, and mentally smack myself. Tickling? That's the best thing I could think of?

"Tickling you." Austin snorts and I find myself nodding along, even though he can't see me. "Huh. For some reason I find that a little hard to believe."

"It's, uh, it's the truth," I reply. "Yep."

"It's not the truth is it?" Austin asks, not unkindly. "Think you wanna tell me truth now?"

"That...is...the... truth," I say tightly. "I've gotta go." I quickly hang up before he can respond and flop back onto my bed. "Ugh."

A car honks outside and I hear my dad collect his stuff. "I'm leaving," My dad yells up to me. "Imma...imma go out with the guys!" He slurs his words and I can tell he's completely intoxicated already. "You betta...still be...be here when I...when I get... back. I don't...know when that's gonna be..."

I know better than to respond and instead wait until his friend's car is out of the driveway before I head- very slowly, due to the pain- downstairs. Just as I suspected, it's a mess, beer cans and my dad's stuff everywhere. I move to the living room to pick up the cans but bump into the endtable. "OW! _Shit_!" The corner dug right into one of my many bruises and I fall to the ground. "Shit, that hurt." I rub my arm and tears come to my eyes for the tenth time today.

I scoot back against the couch and take a deep breath. It hurts to move, getting down the stairs was enough of a hassle. "Might as well just stay here forever," I mutter to myself, and flick on the TV while I wait for energy to come to me. Boy Meets World is on and I settle on that. It's an old 90s show but it's still good, and better than lots of stuff on television nowadays anyway.

_It's boy meets world, boy meets world, wandering down this road that we call life..._

I hear my phone ringing upstairs but I have no desire to get up to answer it. If they want to talk to me, they can leave a voicemail. Right now the only people I'm paying attention to are named Cory and Shawn and they live in my television.

/Austin/

"What you watching sweetheart?" My mom plops down on the couch next to me with a bowl of popcorn and I take a handful. "Is this Boy Meets World?"

"Yup," I say through the popcorn. "It was the only thing on and I felt like watching it."

"You've been watching lots of 90s TV lately dear, is there a reason why?" She laughs and cuddles me closer to her.

"Because we don't get that many channels?" I ask and she nods.

"I used to love the guys on this show," She laughs. "Used to watch this every day when I was pregnant with you, you know that? Which one is this anyway?"

I check the guide and read the title. "Um... _Dangerous Secret?" _I see the connection click in my mom's brain and she nods.

"Oh this was a good one. If I remember correctly, this is the one with the girl who gets abused. Back when TV shows dealt with real problems instead of stuff like Jersey Shore and those awful Kardashians. I always liked this episode, Shawn's so sweet, protecting Claire because he knows her dad hits her; such a good boy. Why aren't there many good boys anymore? Except you baby, you're a good boy." She smooths my hair and kisses my forehead.

"Wait, what did you say this episode was about again Mom?" I perk up as the theme song ends, and she points to the screen.

"Just watch it," She laughs, and we settle in to watch TV together.

"I'm gonna go to bed, alright?" My mom yawns once it's over. "Uncle Richie's asleep, you're here, and I'm ready to sleep for days." She kisses me good-night and leaves me to fold out the couch into my bed.

"Night Mom," I call and settle back onto the couch. I'm too lazy to fold it out anyway; I just lay down and stare at the ceiling, thinking.

I had a gnawing feeling Mr. Dawson hit Ally. It was getting pretty obvious, but at the same time I wasn't sure. After all, there's no such thing as a sure thing. Why wouldn't she just admit it to me and save us both the trouble? I couldn't get it out of her, but she had to be aware that I know. She had to.

I can't believe I went there today; that was stupid of me. I just wanted to prove a point but all I did was look like an idiot.

It felt good though.

A/N: **I bash Jersey Shore and Kardashians here via Mimi. Sorry if you like them, it was just to prove my point:)**


	4. On My Knees And Outta Luck

**Chapter 4: On My Knees And Out Of Luck**

**Disclaimer: NO!**

**So, new POV this time. Don't hate me, I really wanted it to be Austin, but she doesn't know where he lives...I'm just making no sense...I switch back and forth to Dez because for some reason I love the guy. **

**Kay enough ramble, chapter 4! **

***Two Nights Later* **

**/Dez/ **

"Dez! Dez! Wake up! Dez!" I groan and roll out of bed, pulling a shirt on as I go. Tiredly, I walk to the door and rub the sleep out of my eyes before I check the peephole to see who it is. I gasp and throw the door open so quickly it makes a large BANG.

"Ally? What happened?" I cry, hurrying out to meet her. Her crumpled body leans against my doorjam and I take her into my arms.

"Dez, I..." She starts, but I cut her off by picking her up.

"Shh, you can tell me once we're inside. Lets get you all cleaned up," I say softly to calm her, and carry her inside to lay her down on my couch. I shut the door with my foot and set her down, finally getting a good look at her when I turn the light on.

"Oh Ally," I say softly. "What on earth happened to you sweetie?"

"I...I, I came here because I had nowhere else to go," she stutters. "I've never been to Austin's house before, you were the first person I thought of, I'm sorry!" She leans into my side and breathes heavily, as if trying not to cry. I rub her back, trying to avoid the large bruise I see forming underneath the rips in her shirt.

"Who did this to you?" I whisper. She simply shakes her head and holds on to my arm even tighter.

"Will you tell me?" I try again, and she just whimpers. "Ally, was it your dad?"

She looks up at me and her pained face says it all. My heart breaks for my poor, broken friend and I hug her tight once more. "Let's call the police," I say, and lead her into the kitchen.

"No!" She cries. "No, we can't!"

"Well at least a hospital," I try again, but she protests again.

"Please, please no!" She pounds her fists against my chest and I step back.

"C'mon, we're going to Austin's," I whisper. "We can figure everything out with him."

Either she doesn't care very much about seeing Austin versus the police or she's just too tired to respond, because she simply burrows into my shoulder as I carry her to my car and sit her in the passenger seat. I check every few seconds to make sure she's still breathing; she is, but all she does is stare out the window and wrap her arms tighter around herself. It's as if she's trying to hold herself together.

It takes us fifteen minutes to get to Austin's place; we live on opposite sides of town. Ally makes no note of the neighborhood as we head up to Austin's apartment. I bang on the door loudly, knowing he'll hear. His bed isn't far from the door after all.

"Austin! Austin! WAKE UP!" I shout. "Come on!" I hit the door repeatedly with my fist and ring the doorbell. I hear some shuffling inside and finally Austin's sleepy face appears at the door.

"Dez, what the hell man, it's three in the morn- ALLY?" He cries, and runs out to meet us. "Oh Ally, what! Come on, come inside you guys." He ushers us in and I just now realize Ally's still in her pajamas, wearing my jacket.

"She came to my house looking like this," I explain. "I tried, but...well she refuses to go to the hospital or call the police. I figured she'd listen to you."

Austin holds Ally close and inspects her face; it's as if they're having a silent conversation. "He did this, didn't he?" He sighs.

Ally coughs and nods, averting her gaze. "Yeah," she whispers.

Austin throws his hands in the air and groans. "Ally! Why wouldn't you tell me? We both knew something was happening, and you promised- _promised_- that you would tell me if you were ever in a serious situation! This would qualify as a serious situation!" Ally just falls into the kitchen chair and holds her head in her hands.

"Austin, I'm sorry," she says after a while. "I-"

"What on earth is going on here?" Mrs. Moon walks out of her bedroom, pulling on a bathrobe. "Austin, who are you talking to, why all the- Dez? What are you doing- wait, is that a girl?" She squints and flicks the lights on. "It is! What's going on here?"

"Mom, this is-"

"Hi Mrs. Moon," Ally says shyly. "I'm Ally Dawson. Nice to meet you."

Mrs. Moon rushes over and holds Ally's face in her hands. "What happened to you, dear?"

"Yeah Ally, tell me what happened," Austin adds on, and Mrs. Moon swats him in the stomach.

Ally quietly says what happened for the second time tonight, this time adding on my presence. It amazes me that she doesn't cry at all.

"Dear, we need to get you to a hospital," Mrs. Moon says gently. "We need to make sure nothing's broken or infected. And I think some of these need stitches."

"But-"

"Ally, we need to go to the hospital," Austin says. "We'll be with you the whole time, don't worry."

Mrs. Moon goes to grab her keys and put on shoes and a jacket, and tells Uncle Richie we're going to the hospital. He just pokes his head out of his door and nods, the situation either not registering or not bothering him at all. Oh Uncle Richie...

"C'mon Ally, can you walk at all?" Austin asks, coaxing her out of the chair. She stands up, but wobbles and falls down.

"Ow," She says meekly.

Austin curses at Mr. Dawson under his breath and scoops Ally up, carrying her out. "We can take my car if you guys want."

"No it's fine, mine is right there," Mrs. Moon points to her Honda and we head there. The only sound are Ally's sniffles every few seconds- she's always been prone to a runny nose- and Austin muttering under his breath.

"Gonna kill that jackass," I hear. "Little motherfucker-"

"Language," Mrs. Moon reminds quietly. "But you're right."

The hospital is only ten minutes or so from the Moons' apartment and Ally is admitted quickly. They leave Austin and I in the waiting room and let Mrs. Moon through to be with Ally.

"She's gonna be fine," Austin says, more to himself than me. "Yep, she's gonna be fine."

"She is," I add, and he just ignores me, pacing even faster. "Really, she's going to be alright."

"She's not going back there," He adds. "Never will she go back there again. I don't care if I have to call the freaking President, she's never stepping foot in that house again."

"Do you know the President?" I ask carefully, but all I recieve is a glare, so I just shut up.

"She's gonna be fine," He repeats. "Yep, she's gonna be fine."

**/Austin/ **

"Ally Dawson's family?" The nurse calls from the doorway, and Dez and I stand up quickly. "This way, please." She leads us back to Ally's room, where my mom is conferring with the doctor and Ally is sleeping. It is 5 am, after all. She needs the rest. I, on the other hand, will never be able to sleep again.

"How is she, mom?" I ask quietly, seeing her wrist in a cast and the stitches on her shoulder and leg.

"She'll live," My mom replies. "A broken wrist and spranied ankle, a broken rib, a lot of bruises and she's pretty much just banged up all over." She runs her hand over Ally's hair and clucks. "The poor, poor girl."

"Did you call the police?" Dez asks. "He really needs to be arrested."

"Yes, they're on their way. The nurses just wanted to wait until Ally was done being bandaged up. I'm going to go get a snack, alright? You boys stay here, I'll get you something to eat." She kisses each of us on our heads and leaves, shooting one last look at Ally.

"Hard to believe, isn't it?" Dez asks softly. "Her dad and all of this. You'd never think the owner of Sonic Boom and the president of Intermusic would..."

"I know," I sigh. "Good job, fancy home, low-life creep."

"Did you know?" He asks, sitting back in the chair. "At all?"

"I...sometimes thought that maybe it was happening, but whenever I tried to get it out of her, she would clam up and become a vault. I guess I just thought that if she was ignoring it, and I ignored it, then it wasn't true...I don't know, I'm such a bad friend," I hold my head in my hands. "I'm a terrible friend, aren't I?"

"No, no you're a good guy Austin. She told me that you defended her to her dad," He adds. "That was good of you."

"No, it was reckless," I refute. "I could have got hurt, worse, I could have got her hurt. It was stupid."

"Hey. It may have been stupid, but you care about her, and that's what matters, right?" Dez looks me in the eye and reassures me.

"I...right," I shrug. "I care about her a lot. She shouldn't have had to go through that."

"No she shouldn't have," He agrees. "Nobody should."

"A-Austin?" A little voice sounds. "Where am I?" She sits up- well as far as possible- and looks around worriedly. She begins to panic and Dez shoots me a worried look.

"Ally," I rush over to her and hold her hand. "Hey, hey, you're in the hospital, don't worry. You're just fine. Shh." I hold her close and her breathing slows. "Shh. You're alright."

"Why am I here again?" The anesthesia must not have worn off entirely yet.

Dez looks at me, wide-eyed, and I know he wants me to answer the question. "Well you were hurt pretty badly," I start. "You went to Dez's house and he brought you to my house, and my mom and I brought you here. Do you remember any of this?"

Ally nods and looks out the window.

"Ally, don't worry, the doctors fixed you up really well," Dez tries. "You'll only have your wrist cast for a month or so, and your ribs should be healed soon, too!"

A knock sounds on the door and three police in uniform come in, accompanied by my mom and the doctor.

"Miss Dawson, could we have a word with you?" Ally immediately clutches my hand tightly. "Can Austin stay?" She asks timidly, and the one who seems to be in charge nods.

"Sure, we just need you to answer some questions." He grabs the chair on the opposite side of her bed and sits down. "I'm Sergeant Michael Swift. My daughter Miranda goes to your school," He says in a friendly way. "You can trust us. These are my associates, Mrs. Brown and Mr. Meyer." He motions to the two behind him and Ally nods.

"Great, so let's get started." Mrs. Brown pulls out a clipboard and pen, poised to write. "Can you tell us when your attack happened?"

"Um, well I got to Dez's house at around 2:30, and it took me maybe ten minutes to get there, but I'd say around midnight was when it started," She says unsurely. "I wasn't really wearing a watch or anything."

"No, that's fine, thanks. And who was your attacker?" Sergeant Swift asks, not unkindly. "We need to know, sweetie."

She mumbles, hiding her face, and I nudge her. "Alls, you gotta tell them."

"My dad," She whispers. "Lester Dawson."

Mrs. Brown gives her a sympathetic look and my mom rubs her arm. "Thanks, and was he alone in this?"

Ally shakes her head. "No, his friends William and Jay were there too, but they didn't do much. His...girlfriend Melanie, she...helped," she swallows heavily and squeezes my hand tighter.

"Helped? Could you elaborate, please?" Swift looks at her with concern and Dez shares a worried look with my mom.

"She...smashed a beer bottle over me..." Ally says. "More than one."

They continue questioning her in this manner, Ally answering every question uneasily.

Eventually they decide they have enough for the report and get up. "Thanks for your cooperation, sweetheart," Brown says. "We appreciate it."

"You aren't going to...um, hurt my dad are you?" Ally asks suddenly. "I'm sure he didn't mean it, he was just a little drunk."

"Can you talk to her?" Swift whispers to my mom. "She needs to understand this wasn't okay."

My mom nods and shows the officers out, motioning for me to talk to Ally. "Alls," I start. "Your dad HIT you; you had to go to the hospital."

"But-" she protests, but I don't let her.

"No buts. That wasn't okay; you deserve so much better. You should never have to go through that. It's not fair, a small sweet girl like you getting beat upon."

"But I'm sure my dad loves me," she refutes, and I nod.

"I'm sure he did, at some point. But if you love someone, your don't hurt them. End of discussion."

"Austin!"

"Ally."

She sighs and turns away, ignoring me. '_Talk to her_,' I mouth to Dez, and he nods grimly.

None of this is okay.

**/Dez/ **

"Feel a little better?" I ask her, and she just nods. "Want anything? Water? Mrs. Moon brought up some granola bars and fruit if you want some."

Again she nods, and I sigh. "Austin was really worried about you," I try. "Couldn't sit still."

No response, so I keep talking. "Did I ever tell you... About my parents?" She stares blankly at me and I continue. "Didn't think so. My mom's name is Carrie. She grew up in Beverly Hills, but she never had much money or anything. Then she met my dad when they went to college together in Hollywood and, well your know, they fell in love and got married. Neither were rich, they didn't have much, but they were in love. At least, according to my mom and all the stories she told me as a kid."

Ally angles towards me but doesn't respond further.

"Well then you know my dad invented the software for the MyTab and MyPhone and suddenly all they cared about was the money. Now they're...well I'm not so sure," I laugh. "My dad is probably out with his friends, same with my mom. I'm never really sure."

"That's sad," she says quietly. "You don't get along well with them do you?"

"Not particularly," I agree. " My dad and I don't see eye to eye on much. He doesn't agree with my choice of wanting to go to film school, he wanted me to go to Harvard Law and become a lawyer." I snort and shake my head. "I'm not a lawyer."

"What about your mom?" She attempts to pull her hair into a ponytail, but yelps in pain.

"Here, let me do that," I say, and tie her hair up on her head. "My mom doesn't care about anything but herself. That's the way it's been the past few years. we're not that close anymore. No one really is with her, not even my dad." I shrug and tie her hair with the band she hands me. "Oh well."

"But they were in love?" She asks, and I'm glad I got her to respond.

"Oh yes, very much in love." I nod. "And they still are, they're just...distant. But there will always be a certain connection between them that they can never erase." I lean back in my chair and she follows me with her eyes.

"What do you mean?" She asks quietly.

"_Well_," I draw out. "My mom wasn't single when she met dad." I take a swig of my water and continue. "She dated this guy, Alex I think was his name. And it wasn't..ah...the best relationship."

"Like...they broke up a lot?" She says curiously, and I snort.

"No, more like he tended to almost break her BONES a lot," I let that sink in and her eyes widen.

"He hit her?" I nod and she lets out a deep breath.

"My dad found out, you know, and they were good friends when he found out. He called the police, though he promised her he wouldn't, got the jerk in jail, and let her live with him since she'd been staying in Alex's apartment. And the rest is history. And though they may pretend to not have time for each other, they do still love each other. They do. My mom says she'll always be grateful to my dad, even though she didn't understand at the time."

"She turned out alright?" Ally asks, and I think I've got through to her.

"Yeah she did."

"And she and your dad are still in love?" I take in a deep breath before I answer.

"Yeah, I think they are. I mean, he's always busy, so that's why she keeps herself busy. But when I do see them, they're very in love. And you can just tell that she's grateful to him, for what he did."

"Oh."

"You know what really started it, though?" I continue, and she shrugs.

"She asked my dad how you know if someone truly loves you. You know what he said?" I don't wait for her to respond, I just keep talking. I'm on a roll here. "He said, well Carrie, do they treat you like I do?" She said no, and realized that if you really, really love someone, you don't hurt them."

"You don't," she whispers, afraid of the answer.

"No, you don't," I say sympathetically.

"Austin was right?" She asks again, fiddling with her hands. I nod and she keeps looking at her hands.

"Where am I going to go?" She asks, and for the first time I see she's afraid.

"With me," says a voice from the doorway, and neither of us are surprised to see our blonde best friend. "You're staying with us when you get out of here. They'll let you out tomorrow morning, as long as we promise to take extra good care of you."

"Are you sure?" She asks, but I can see she's glad to know where she's going.

"My mom insists," Austin says, and crosses the room to come sit with us. I nod my head to him, signalling that I think I got through to her, and he nods back gratefully.

"Thank you," Ally all but whispers, and Austin raises an eyebrow.

"For what?"

"Getting me help," She says, and it's the end of the conversation.

"Dez, we should get you home," Mrs. Moon says from the door, and I get up.

"Bye Alls, hope you feel better," I say, and ruffle her ponytail. "Be good for Austin."

She nods and tugs my arm, pulling me back. "I'm glad I went to your house," She whispers. "And thank you for telling me that story."

"No problem. Bye guys," I wave, and step out the door.

They're going to be alright.

**A/N: So...I'm procrastinating. Anyway I am very aware this is very Dez-heavy, but I promise this isn't Dally! It's Auslly, promise! But you know, Ally can be very stubborn and sometimes I think Dez is an underrated character. I think he was the right character for all of the parts he was in:)**


	5. Help, I'm Alive

**Chapter 5: Help, I'm Alive**

**Disclaimer: So, do I own this? No, no I don't. **

**Here's chapter 5: Ally is moving in with the Moons; their neighborhood will really register with her and Austin may or may not be embarrassed; and there is a situation that there is an interesting solution to. **

**/Austin/**

"So this is it," I wave my arm around the apartment. "It's not much, but its home."

"I think it's wonderful," she says, and I can't tell if she's lying or not.

"You don't have to say that-" I protest.

"I mean it. I don't feel, uh, unsafe here." And that is that.

"So the kitchen is right there if you're hungry, and the bathroom is through there. Um, right there is my mom's room, and my Uncle Richie's is right next to hers." I gesture around and I wait for her to ask where my room is, but she remains quiet.

"This is nice," She almost cracks a smile, but seems to think better of herself and the corners of her lips tug back down. "Um, where can I put my stuff?" She gesture to the bag of stuff she had from the hospital and I point to the end table by the couch. "Do you want to take a shower or something?"

"A shower sounds nice," She agrees. "Through there right?" She points to the door opening by the couch and I nod. "Do you, uh, need some help?" I feel my face burn a bit and look away.

"Uh...I should be alright..." She says uh surely.. "I, uh, can call your mom if I need anything, right?"

"Yup, she'll be making dinner so..." I head to the bathroom door with her and we pause. "So, uh, enjoy your shower."

She thanks me softly and walks through, the door making a *click* behind her.

"Where's Ally?" My mom asks as she walks in. She sets her bag down in the kitchen and pulls out the stuff for dinner.

"In the shower. Hey, uh, I didn't think this through, but what's the whole sleeping thing gonna be?" I motion to the couch and sigh. "I'd say one of us can sleep on the couch, but...there only is one couch."

"Ally can take the couch, do you want to sleep in my room?" I shrug and she sighs. "You're going to have to make a decision, sweetie."

"I'll just take my sleeping bag out and sleep on the floor or something in your room."

"Wish you didn't have to, the floor can be so drafty." My mom motions for me to come stand with her and I comply. "Think she'll be okay here?"

"I hope so," I sigh. "I need her to be okay. She's my best friend, mom, she shouldn't have had to go through that with her idiot dad."

"He was more than an idiot," my mom snorts. "But you're right."

"She's really quiet;" I add. "I barely get a smile out of her. It used to be so easy."

"Give her time, dear. She went through a lot in the past few days."

"I'd say the past few weeks," I remark. "I don't think it was all of a sudden."

"You don't?" My mom turns around, surprised.

"I kind of had a feeling that something was going on," I admit. My mom's face stays shocked but she tunrs around to finish the chicken and potatoes.

"And you didn't say anything?" I hear the underlying dissapointment in her voice and it's like twisting the knife even deeper.

"Mom, I...I tried asking her a lot, but she would just clam up and leave. I...uh, had a talk with Mr. Dawson," I say quietly.

"Austin Moon you _what?_" She shrieks, turning around and grabbing my shoulders. "What on earth happened?"

"Mom, calm down. Nothing bad, I just told him he'd better not hurt Ally. Ever. And we kind of just had a conversation and I left." I hop up on the counter and take a slice of orange from the bowl my mom has out.

"That was obviously stupid of you," My mom sighs. "You know you could have got hurt, right?"

"Yeah mom, I know. But at the time it sounded like a smart idea." I pop the orange slice in my mouth and swallow.

"But did you ever think of the effect it could have on Ally?" My mom turns around once more and she runs her hand over my hair. "If you thought she was being hurt, why would you threaten the man who was hurting her? Ever think maybe it wouldn't stop, but in fact the opposite? That maybe he'd hurt her more?" She sighs and rests her hand on my shoulder. "You could have put her in a lot of danger."

"I know Mom, I know." I nod and hear the water stop running. "Guessing she's done now."

"No really?" Mom says sarcastically. "I thought the lights turned off."

"Mom," I laugh.

"I'm gonna go see if she needs any help., watch the potatoes." She dries her hands on the towel and exits the kitchen. "Ally, need any help honey?"

I stir around the potato slices a bit and lean against the counter.

"Thanks Mrs. Moon," I hear Ally say, and a few minutes later she walks out wearing my mom's bathrobe.

"Feel better Ally?" I ask, and she nods. "Good, we're going to have dinner soon. Chicken and potatoes."

"Sounds good." She looks to my mom who leads her to her room. "Let's find you something to wear, dear."

They dissapear into my mom's room and I hear a loud _Bang! _"Austin, Mimi you home?"

"In here Uncle Richie," I call, and once again I grab a bag of walnuts for him. "I've gotta talk to you."

"What's up, kid?" He calls and he grabs the bag from me. "Walnuts, you never let me down kiddo." He pulls one out and cracks it against his head. "What'd you wanna talk to me about?"

"You remember last night, my mom told you we were going to the hospital?" The potatoes are done and I pour them into a bowl.

"Uh...sort of, I was kind of, well you know _asleep?"_ He laughs as he cracks another walnut; he hasn't even had the first one finished yet.

"You know my friend Ally?" I try again.

"Oh yeah, the girl you're in love with," He says casually. "Sure, sure."

"Not in love with her," I correct. "Just my friend."

"Uh-huh." He nods as if he doesn't believe me, but motions for me to continue. "Go on."

"Well Ally, she showed up at Dez's house last night, well actually early yesterday morning." I stop to think and nod. "Yeah. Early morning. Anyway, she showed up at his house and she was all beaten and bloodied, you follow me?" I check to see his reaction and he nods.

"Not stupid, kiddo." He chomps on his first walnut as he cracks another.

"Okay well...he brought her here and we took her to the hospital." I pull the chicken out of the oven and put it on a plastic platter.

"Why?"

"Why'd we take her to the hospital? She was completely broken-"

"No, no, why was she like that?" He asks. There's more to him than you would think.

"Oh, uh, her dad beat up on her," I'm pained to say it, and my face crinkles in anger.

"That's terrible!" He cries. "What kind of unimaginable bastard would do that? Who's he think he is, king of the world?"

"Uncle Richie, you're quoting Titanic again," I warn. "And you're right, he is."

"Well is she alright?"

"They let her out this morning; she's going to be staying with us for a while, okay?" I break it gently, no idea how he's going to react.

"She's staying with us?" He asks skeptically. "We...uh...have space for her? Not that I'm saying she's not, uh, welcome, but...well you know."

"She can sleep on the couch, my bed, whatever you wanna call it. Mom said I could use the sleeping bag and blankets and take up her floor space," I reply, surprised he's taken this so well. "Uncle Richie, you be nice to her, okay?"

"Why would I be anything but nice?" He asks, throwing his arms wide open. "I'm the King of nice!" _Maybe a little delusional, but sure, nice. _

"Alright, but Uncle Richie, you need to be...calmer, you understand me?" I say carefully. "She's probably going to be a little jumpy, and you need to not scare her, okay?"

"Okay..." He agrees casually, not giving me much of a hope.

"Uncle Richie-" I warn.

"Okay, okay, I promise kiddo. I'm not going to do a thing to hurt your girlfriend, I promise."

"I really mean it Uncle Richie, she's going to be really nervous I think, and-"

"Austin. I promise you, I'll be perfectly nice to your friend, I won't hurt her, I promise." He stares me in the eyes and I believe him.

"Alright I'm trusting you," I put the food in the oven and press _Warm and Hold_.

"Here, you can borrow one of Austin's sweatshirts," I hear my mom say, and Ally walks out of my mom's room with her. "He won't mind. Would you, Austin?" She asks, and I nod.

"Go ahead, there's some in the dresser right there," I point to the dresser and she grabs my blue _Surf School _hoodie. "Looks good on you," I remark, and for a second I think she's going to crack a smile. But she just turns to my mom and thanks her.

"Dinner ready?" Mom asks, and I nod. "Yup, about to plate it. OH! Ally, this is my Uncle Richie, Uncle Richie, this is my best friend Ally. Uncle Richie, Ally. Ally, Uncle Richie." Ally walks over and holds her hand out.

"Nice to meet you, Uncle Richie," She offers, and he returns the sentiment.

"What a beautiful friend you have Austin," He says, and Ally turns red.

"Thanks," She says, and he winks.

"You two would make a very good attractive couple, you know that?" Ally just shakes her head and walks over to me.

"Your uncle is nice," She remarks, and I agree.

"Yeah, but he's a little...crazy sometimes, just so you know," I whisper. "He thinks he plays for the Red Sox, and he cracks walnuts on people's heads sometimes."

Ally snorts. "Sounds like my great-uncle Louis. No big deal." Humor, she must feel a little better.

"He's harmless, I promise you," I assure her, and she just nods. She does a lot of nodding these days I've noticed. "Ready to eat?"

"Sure, should I go call your mom and Uncle?" She asks, angling out of the kitchen.

"I can do it, but thanks," I reply. "Uncle Richie, Mom, dinner," I call and they come to help set the table.

"This looks really good," Ally observes and my mom thanks her.

"Glad you think so, dear. Now eat up before it gets cold." She sppons a large heaping of potatoes onto Ally's plate and the steam rises up. "My grandma's secret recipe."

"If you call store-bought freezer pack 'grandma's secret recipre,; then yes it is," I say slyly and my Mom rolls her eyes.

"Don't listen to Austin, he doesn't know what he's talking about." Ally looks up, amusement in her eyes and my mom looks pleased.

"So Ally," Uncle Richie says after a pause. "You're in Austin's grade, correct?"

"That's right," She says shyly. "We had a lot of classes together last year. Hopefully this year too."

An expression of guilt wafts across my mom's face, but I make nothing of it and turn back to my dinner.

"So where do you live? Or, er, excuse me, that was rude-" He says, embarassed. "I didn't mean-"

"No, it's fine," She says kindly. "Wildflower Ridge, by Cabot Mall?"

Uncle Richie's eyes widen, the neighborhood registering with him, and he nods. "Erm...wow," He coughs. "Nice."

"Er...yeah," She says, blushing, and we fall back into silence once more.

"So Ally, are you allergic to anything? Mom asks. "Just checking so I don't, you know, accidentally poison you or anything," She laughs uncomfortably.

"No, I'm not. But my mom was allergic to fried bean curd if you can believe tha!" She says. "I'm not even kidding." *****

"Well I won't be serving up any fried bean curd anytime soon, I promise," Mom laughs, but is interrupted by a knock to the door.

"Excuse me, let me get that." She gets up quickly, pulling the heavy door open. "Hello?"

"Mrs. Moon?" Says a deep voice that sounds oddly familiar.

"Yes, Officer Swift, come on in," She ushers the officer from the hospital inside. "We're just eating dinner, can I get you anything?"

"No ma'm, I'm fine, thank you though. Is Ally here?" He peeks his head over the table and spots Ally. "Ah. Yes, Miss Dawson."

"Uh...yes?" She squeaks. "Can I help you?"

"Miss Dawson, right. Well I came to talk to you about, well you know, arrangements." He pulls out a huge stack of papers and sets them on the table.

"Arrangements?" She squeaks again. "What kind of arrangements are you talking about?"

"Well dear, I have something to tell you," He starts. "Are you listening?"

"Yes..." She says hesitantly, and grabs my hand underneath the table.

"Dear, your dad...was not home. He was gone. Like, as you kids might say, _gone gone. _He left a note, and we checked through the house; the suitcases were gone and it seemed that most of his closet was unpacked. " He hands her a piece of paper with writing; she just lets it rest on the table in front of her.

"Ally, aren't you going to read that?" I ask gently.

"I don't think I want to," She whispers. "Is it bad?" She directs to Officer Swift.

"It's not something you'd read from your Grandma Boo Boo on a Sunday afternoon," He jokes. "But since I'm letting you read it, it's all right. If you want, I can just paraphrase it for you."

"Maybe that would be best," She agrees. "If you could, please."

He nods and grabs a chair next to my mom and clears his throat before starting.

"Alright, but you can keep that if you want. In case you ever decide to read it," He motions to the untouched paper in front of her and she just hands it to me. "He basically said he and some lady named Melanie- you said she was his girlfriend, correct?- that they left, he didn't say where. He said to not look for him, and that...uh...hm, what else? It looked like it was written really quickly, and it was sort of hard to read. He basically said that he was gone, not too look for him, and that you could, uh, do whatever, because he didn't...care," He says the last part gently, not wanting to hurt her. "Erm...that's...it."

Ally doesn't respond, just periodically squeezes my hand tighter and tighter with every passing second.

"Ally?" My mom prompts, but I shush her with a cut of my eyes.

"So that's that," She whispers. "What else did you want to say?"

"Ally, are you sure you're okay?" Swift says, concerned. "We can talk later, if you want."

"No, I'm okay," She says, and clears her throat.

"Alright, well since you're a minor, we checked your records, and your parents never specified who your legal guardian would be if something were to happen to them. So for kids like that, we generally send them to foster homes," He pauses after this statement when he sees Ally's face turn to one of shock, and her head slowly droops.

"Officer, isn't there anything else we could-"

"Mrs. Moon, I really don't think there's any other option here," He says apologetically.

"Well we can take her in, that's what I said at the hospital and you were fine with it!" She protests.

"I said you were fine to _take her home_ after she got out of the hospital for the _night_." Officer Swift sighs and leans back further into his seat. "But, uh, I don't think we can make this a permanent situation."

"And why not?" She cries. "I can take care of Ally perfectly fine, why won't you let me?"

"Because, and Mrs. Moon, don't take this the wrong way: Your home isn't large enough to house three people, let alone four," He looks apologetic and frowns. "I'm sorry, I already conferred with the people down at the station, and the child services officer said they wouldn't Ally live here permanently."

"Well where on earth could she go?" My mom throws her head into her hands and groans. "Is there _any _other option for her besides a foster home?"

As they discuss, Ally sits beside me, slightly shaking. She's moved on from gripping my hand to clinging on to my whole arm. "You alright?" I whisper down to her.

"Mmph," She mumbles, and turns her attention back to Swift and my mom.

"What about emancipation?" Uncle Richie pipes up suddenly, surprising all of us at the table.

"Emacipation?" I ask. "What's that?"

"Well, it's An emancipated minor is a minor who is allowed to conduct a business or any other occupation on his own behalf or for his own account outside the influence of a parent or guardian." I blink, and he dumbs it down. "It's when a kid can act like an adult if they can take care of themself better than their parents can. They can get the full responsibilites of being an adult, etcetera."

"That sounds good, get Ally emancipated then!" I say.

"It's a lenghty process, for one thing, and without the parents there, I don't see how much I can do," He says. "Though emancipation would make sense, I mean it seems like Ally's been taking care of herself for a long time."

I quickly google emancipated minors on my phone and find this: "_An adolescent may be considered emancipated if he or she is self-supporting and living away from home, married, pregnant, a parent, or in the military." _

Hm.

"You know Mr. and Mrs. Turner? They run the grocery store downtown? They're also foster parents and they said they would love to have Ally." Ally makes a choking noise and gets up from the table, walking quickly to the bathroom.

"See what you made her do?" Mom huffs, and excuses herself. "I'll be back, Austin, get the nice officer some pie."

"No, I'm okay," He says, getting up from the table. "I'll leave the papers here and you can look them over. We'll contact you in the morning, but if you have any questions in the meantime, you can reach me here." He hands me his office card and I walk him to the door. "And Austin?" He claps me on the soulder and looks me in the eyes. "You're a good kid, take care of her tonight, will you?" I nod and he walks out the door. "Good night, son."

I close the door behind him and sigh. "Uncle Richie?"

"Yeah kiddo?" He clears away the table and I begin to help him.

"I have a plan."

**/Ally/**

**"**Ally? Honey? Please come out," Mrs. Moon's worried voice floats through the bathroom door and I sigh. I pull my legs up on to the counter with me and I look at myself in the mirror.

Brown hair. C_heck_.

"Ally, at least give me some kind of response, dear!" I feel bad; she's been at the door for the past five or so minutes and I cough.

Brown eyes. C_heck_.

"Yeah, I'm here. I'll be right out," I call.

Bruises all over me. C_heck_.

"We have pie," She tries again, and I hear another set of footsteps come to join her.

Girl who's no longer happy. C_heck_.

"Alls, please come out," Austin begs. "We have pie."

A mouth that can't force itself up into a smile. C_heck_.

_These Moons seem to love their pie._

A girl who has no home. _Check_.

"I'm just going to wash my face and I'll be out," I say, and splash cold water on my face.

"Alright, don't be too long," He says, and I hear their feet walk away.

Foster care, that's not what I wanted. When Austin said I'd be going with them, I didn't realize I'd eventually have to leave. I thought...I don't know what I thought. I guess I wasn't really thinking...

"Ally," Austin's voice sounds through the door and I sigh. "Not to bother you, but my mom's using her bathroom and I don't think I can hold it anymore."

I hop down and open the door, and Austin bolts inside. "Well he moves fast," I mutter to myself.

"That he does," Uncle Richie remakrs from his perch at the table. "He's always been fast as lightning, that kid."

"Really? Did he ever play soccer or something?" I ask curiously, sitting down next to him.

"His mom put him on a team once, when he was young, but she could never afford to have him play, you know competitively through the years." He takes a sip of his coffee and nods to himself.

"Oh," I breathe. "He was always really good when we played soccer in PE as kids, I thought he was on a competition team or something."

"Well he always wanted to, you know. Sometimes he'd play with the kids in this building, in the summer when the field down there was all dry."

"How many kids are in this building?" I ask curiously.

"When Austin was a kid, there weren't a whole lot around for him to play with, but he always had someone to hang out with. There's not so many now."

"Hm," I say. "Well it's a nice building, the people seemed very nice on the way up."

"Yeah, there's some nice people here, but it's not the Hilton or anything." He swirls his coffee with a spoon and takes a sip. "Love sugar in my coffee. You know the boys down on the team, they like milk, but me, I like sugar."

"The boys on the team?" I ask, then remember that he thinks he plays for the Red Sox. "Oh, uh, never mind."

"No no, it's fine." He adds more sugar and takes another sip. "Much better. The boys on the team, it's really the same as the walnuts thing. It entertains the guys at work, makes Austin chuckle sometimes, and it keeps me from getting too bored. I just keep it up around Mimi so she doesn't worry about me trying to change to maker happy or whatever."

"Wh...okay Uncle Richie," I say. "Um..."

"Ah, I got you!" He laughs. "Of course I play for the Red Sox!"

"Wai...wait..." I stutter. "What..."

"Just trying to make you laugh kiddo," He sighs. "Guess I'm not doing a good job id all I'm doing is confusing you."

"A lot of things confuse me lately," I admit. "It's not your fault."

"Mimi, she's my kid sister, and she's a good woman you know." He gets up, brushing nonexistent dirt off his pants. "Austin got it from her. He's a good kid too."

"Yeah, yeah he is," I agree. "Best friend I ever had."

"And here he comes now," He says as Austin walks out of the bathroom. "You take too long bud, I thought you were dead or something."

"Not dead yet," Austin laughs. "Sorry to dissapoint."

"Hey kid, I don't want you dead!" Uncle Richie protests. "I love you! Best nephew I have!"

"That would be beacuse I'm your _only _nephew," Austin says amusedly. "Ally you look tired, you want to go to bed?"

I check the clock; it's only 8:30 but I'm exhausted. "Bed sounds nice," I agree.

"Alright, give me a second, I'll make it up." I watch as he unfolds the couch and puts on sheets and heavy blankets, and one large fluffy pillow.

"Well there ya go," He says. "Should be warm enough, if it's not I have extra blankets."

"Austin, isn't this your bed?" I ask cautiously. "I can't take your bed, it's _your _bed. You take it, I'll take-"

"-The couch?" He snorts. "This is the couch. You take it, okay?"

"Austin..."

"Ally. Come on, you're sleepy, just go to bed." He gabs my hand and plops me down, tucking a soft green blanket over me. "There. Go to sleep."

"Austin?" I ask quietly, and he turns around.

"Yes?"

"Will you stay with me?" I feel like I'm six years old again and asking my mommy to read me a bedtime story and stay with me until I fall asleep. "Please?"

"Sure Ally," He says, and curls up with me.

"Will you hold me?" I ask again, still feeling vulnerable. "If I ask nicely?"

"I think you did ask nicely," He says, but wraps me up in his arms anyway. "Shh. Go to sleep. You're going to be alright."

I'm sure I mumbled some kind of thanks along the way to sleep, but I don't really remember. All I do remember is feeling really warm and really comfortable and really safe.

**A/N: So I like this chapter; in fact, I like it a lot. Anyone have an idea as to what his plan is? You probably do, haha, it was obvioius this chapter...anyway, leave a review saying what you think it is! :) **

**Anyway, I'd like to say that I like Uncle Richie.**

**xx**


	6. Annie

**Chapter 6: Annie**

**Disclaimer: No ownership of this is involved whatsoever by me.**

**That was all professional like:) So this is chapter 6 guys. **

**Chapter seis!**

**/Austin/**

I woke up to a very bright light flashing in my face. Sitting up quickly, I rub my eyes, but I didn't take into account the weight of another person laying on my chest. "What was that?"

"Just taking a picture," My mom says cheerily. "You two were just so cute."

I quietly ease myself out from underneath Ally's sleeping form and get up. "She just wanted me to stay with her last night," I explain. "So I did."

"So you did," She laughs. "Listen, I got called in for an extra shift today; I called Officer Swift and said we would talk later tonight. I'm not going to be back until around five or six. I feel really bad honey, but I've gotta go," She says, quickly gathering up all her stuff. "Please tell Ally that I'm sorry I couldn't stay longer, okay? Mrs. Lawrence just had her baby, a little boy named Tucker- isn't that sweet? And since she's on maternity leave, we all have to pick up some slack." She quickly puts her sweater on and ties on her apron. "I love you dear," She kisses me on the head and holds my face, rubbing my nose against hers. "Take care of Ally, don't get into too much trouble, don't leave her alone for too long, okay? Alright, bye, I love you!" And she disappears out the door.

I check the clock as I make my way to the kitchen- it's eight o' clock, Uncle Richie -if he wasn't at work-wouldn't be up for a while, and neither will Ally. So I do what any normal teenage boy would do on a Thursday morning in the middle of summer. I Google marriage.

/ /

_"__If an individual is under 18 years of age, but older than 16 years of age, a marriage license can be obtained with parental consent. If a parent has sole custody or the other parent is dead, the permission of one parent is a person is under the age of 16, the marriage license has to be issued by a county judge, with or without parental permission. If a minor's parents are both deceased and there is not an appointed guardian, he/she may apply for a marriage license. A minor who has been previously married may also apply for a license"_

Thank you, Wikipedia.

So I've figured this whole thing out. Ally could be emancipated if she was married, and to be married she needs parental consent. BUT since her mom is gone and her dad is who-knows-where, she can apply for a marriage license. If Officer Swift or a judge vouches for her, it could work out.

What am I, crazy? Do I want Ally to get married? No. No I don't! She's sixteen, that's insane!

But she wouldn't have to go to a foster home...be moved around and around for two years, only to be kicked out on her butt when she was 18. Not that there's anything wrong with foster children; my friend Angela grew up in foster homes and she turned out just fine. But Ally has never done well with change; it would all be too much for her.

I look over to Ally; she's still asleep, breathing softly in and out. Every now and again she twitches, as if she's dreaming and it upsets her. I check to make sure she's not awake before I turn back to Google and its infinite powers of webpage searching. Gotta love Google. Great name, great purpose. I quickly type in _teen marriage statistics _and once again Wikipedia is a magic portal to wisdom, as Dez would say.

_Teen couples regularly have unhappy marriages, which might lead to a divorce. One in three teen marriages ends in divorce by the age of 25, which is no different than the statistics for adult marriage. Additionally, according to Bob and Sheri Stitof, "marriages and divorce rates have increased by 68 percent since 1995. Also, one out of every four teenagers have parents that are divorced."_

But if only one couple stayed together for the rest of their lives, I have no doubt Ally and I could make it work. I mean, we're best friends! It wouldn't be that hard. It would be, you know, like natural or something.

'Course, we'd have to find someplace to live, I mean we can't just sleep on my mom's couch forever...

What am I doing? Am I honestly considering this?

Yes.

No!

Yes.

No!

Ye-

"Austin?" A sleepy voice asks, and I quickly close the webpage. "You there?"

"Yeah Ally, I'm here," I call, and walk over to the couch. "Feel better?"

"A little," She admits. "So..."

"So..."

We sit in silence for a minute before I practically slap myself. "Breakfast! Want some? I can make pancakes, or a smoothie, or something, we might have bagels..."

"A bagel would be nice," She says, and gets up, following me to the kitchen. "I like your house," She says suddenly, and I pause

"Really? I don't," I laugh slightly, but she's dead serious.

"Yeah, it feels like a home instead of an empty shell where people live." She hops up onto the chair at the counter and watches as I toast a bagel. "I hate empty shells."

I get the underlying feeling that she's talking about her own house, so I nod along and keep listening.

"Your house, it feels like a family actually lives here, instead of just people. Your mom is a really nice lady," She adds on, and I see her almost give a smile.

"She is pretty nice," I agree. "I think I lucked out in moms."

"Yeah, you did."

"Butter or cream cheese?" I ask, showing her the two options. "I myself am a man of cream cheese, but my mom and Uncle Richie prefer the butter. I can't understand why," I scrunch up my nose at the thought of butter on bagels and she lets out a soft giggle. I want to make a comment, but the smile on her face quickly fades off, as if she's embarassed to have caught herself laughing.

"Cream cheese, please," She asks, and I give her a thumbs up.

"_There's no way I can have a bagel, eat a bagel, have a bagel, wi-i-ithout just a little, just a little cream cheese!" _I sing, trying to make her laugh again, and she looks at me amusedly.

"Where'd your mom go?" She asks as I hand her the plate and a napkin.

"Really quick, would you like milk, orange juice, or water?" I ask, and she asks for water. "Water it is, coming right up. And she went down to the restaurant, one of the waitresses just had a baby and they needed my mom to do an extra shift." I hand her the filled-up glass and bow dramatcially. "Water, milady."

"This isn't medieval times," She half-laughs. "But thank you, kind sir."

"Mom said she's sorry she didn't stay longer, by the way. Anyway, what do you want to do today?" I ask. "We can...play board games? We have Parcheesi, whatever that is. We can watch some TV, _Friends_, _Fresh Prince of Bel-Air _and _Boy Meets World _are always on. The occasional _Full House_, too. We can...go for a walk, if you're feeling up to it. Um, we can...go to the theater and watch a movie, Uncle Richie can get us in for free," I suggest, and she puts on her '_thinking face_.'

"I don't really feel like going out," She says. "I'm still really tired. Can we just watch TV for a little while?"

I don't know how I forgot that she'd still be tired. "Of course, we can do whatever you want," I respond. "I think they're having a _Friends _marathon if you want to watch that."

"That sounds good," She says, finishing up the last bit of her bagel. "And maybe later we can play Parcheesi, like you talked about?"

"We can do whatever you want," I say, ruffling her hair. "I'll finish up the dishes and get the TV started for you, kay?"

"I'll help," She offers, but I just shoo her away.

"It's like, two plates, I think I can manage," I laugh. "It might take hours, but I'll make it happen."

"However will you manage?" She asks, throwing her hand to her forehead. "It's oh-so strenuous, don't break a bone, please!"

"You know ma'm," I say in my best knight voice. "This is hard work, I might pull a muscle or two."

"Oh no!" She cries dramatically. "However will I live if you should hurt yourself?"

"Well it won't be easy," I improvise. "But there's a twelve-step program for getting over Austin Moon."

She laughs and gently swats me. "You think too highly of yourself."

"Hey, hey, watch it, this is precious cargo," I joke, then stop. "And you are, too."

She blushes and turns away. "I'm going to go change out of-" She stops when she realizes she doesn't have any of her own clothes here.

"You can borrow something of my mom's, you're around the same size," I offer, and she smiles gratefully.

"That'd be great, thanks." She follows me into my mom's room, and I dig around in the closet for a little while.

"Could I maybe just borrow some sweats and a t-shirt again?" She asks apologetically.

"Right! Sorry, I totally forgot about that, here!" I dig through my drawers and hand her another pair of sweats and a big shirt. "Sorry, how stupid of me."

"No, it's fine," She says quickly.

I sigh, and say, "Do you need some help?"

She shakes her head quickly and blushes. "Um...no, I think I can manage," She says, looking down. "I'll...I'll call you if I do." She disappears into my mom's room and comes out looking more comfortable. In the meantime, I pull out my phone and text Dez.

**Dez, we should probably get Ally's clothes from her house**

Not a minute later, I get a response.

_**Yeah, that's a good idea. I'll do it, if she's got a key.**_

**I'll check, but I don't think she brought one with her **

Sure enough, there's no house key in her bag of stuff.

**Try her window, it's usually open.**

_**Kay, how much stuff does she need anyway? How long's she staying at your house?**_

I stop before responding, thinking. If I do go through with..._it_...then she'll be staying for a while. Preferably, you know, a very long time...I don't know, I'm just confused.

**Just get like two or three pairs of her jeans and like some of her shirts and sweatshirts and stuff.**

_**I really don't want to go into her underwear drawer, man. **_

I laugh when I get the last text. Typical Dez.

**You don't have to, we'll get her some at the store, okay?**

_**I really don't want to see Ally's underwear, it'd be like...like seeing my sister's underwear.**_

**You don't have a sister, Dez.**

_**So you see my point.**_

I chuckle and slip my phone into my pocket after Dez says he's on his way, and Ally comes out not long after.

She tries to twist her hair into a ponytail, but her wrist begins to hurt and she curses under her breath. "Hey, let me do that," I say, and try to pull her hair up into a ponytail. Jeez, girls make this stuff look easy. "There you go, a little messy but it works."

"Thanks. Hey Austin," She starts, and I turn to her, letting her know to go on. "When I was in your mom's room, uh, there was a picture..."

I sigh, knowing she would have seen it sometime anyway. "Two parents and two kids?" I ask. "All of them blonde?"

"Er, yeah, that's the one," She says. "Um, I don't mean to pry, but..."

"I have a sister," I say suddenly, and her eyes widen in shock. "Annie."

"Y-you have a sister?" She stutters, still wide-eyed and open-mouthed.

"Yeah, Annie. She lives with my dad in Illinois," I tell her, fiddling with the yellow rubber **LIVE STRONG **bracelet on my wrist.

"W-wh-" I cut her off, getting up and suddenly deciding to reorganize our DVD case, full of mostly my mom's movies.

"My dad just up and left one day and took Annie with him," I confess. "I was about...let me think here...ten? Which made Annie about eight at the time? Yeah, that sounds about right." I think alphabetical order would be good in this case.

"Couldn't you get her...back, or something?" She asks, still shocked. "I mean, isn't that almost like kidnapping?" Kay, we'll start with my mom's favorite Disney Movie, _Alice In Wonderland, Anastasia, Annie. _(We never watch it, but it was Annie's favorite, so it stays.)

"No, he and my mom worked it out later. He got Annie, she got me, and that is that." Next is _Blue Lagoon, The Breakfast Club, Breakfast at Tiffany's._

"Have you...talked to her since...then?" She asks hesitantly, and I nod. After that comes_ Crazy, Stupid, Love, Charlie St. Cloud, Clueless._

"Yeah, two years ago she called us on Christmas. Dad was too busy to come to the phone, but we talked for like a half hour. And she called once, on my fourteenth birthday. And once on Mom's,but...yeah, we pretty much never hear from her. When she was little, though, she used to send us letters, and sometimes Dad would write in them, too." And now is _Dear John, The Descendants, Dirty Dancing._

"Did she sound...good? When she called?" I can tell it's all a lot for Ally to process, but she's making an effort to understand. After that goes _Enchanted_, and I gotta say, it's a cute movie.

"Yeah, she did," I admit, placing _Friends With Benefits, For Keeps, and Footloose _next. We have an odd movie collection. "She says Dad got remarried."

"He didn't tell you guys?" She asks, disbelievingly, and I shake my head. _Get Smart , Grease, _and _Gone With the Wind, _and the other G's, followed by _Hairspray and the Harry Potter movies, _and the _High School Musical _trilogy for when my mom babysits.

"He told my mom, she just didn't tell me because she didn't want me to be mad. I don't really care, I barely remember him anyway." _Inception, I am Number Four, I Love You Beth Cooper, Iron-Man._

"But-" _Jaws, John Tucker Must Die, Just Go With It, Juno._

"But he's not really part of our family anymore," I say. "I don't miss him that much, I just miss Annie." _The Karate Kid, Knocked Up._

"How old is she now?" _The Lucky One, The Lion King, Legally Blonde, Love and Other Drugs, Lord of the Rings, Love, Actually._

"Her fifteenth birthday was two weeks ago." _Marley and Me, Mamma Mia!, Mary Poppins, My Best Friend's Wedding, Mean Girls._

"I'm...sorry..." She says, unsure of what to say. _New Moon, No Strings Attached, The Notebook, New Year's Eve._

"It's alright, I'm used to it," I say, and she frowns. We don't own any O movies so I skip to the P's.

"You shouldn't have to be used to it," She rebuts softly. _Princess Bride, Parent Trap, Pirates of the Carribean._

"There's lots of things people shouldn't have to be used to," I say. No Q's either.

"Does she have a phone, so you two could talk?" She suggests, and I shake my head. _Ratatouille, Roman Holiday._

"No, she says Dad won't let her have one," I say. "And her stepmom rarely lets her use the house phone to call here, so that's pretty much why I never hear from her." _Sabrina, She's the Man, Star Wars, Sweet Home Alabama._

"Is her stepmom mean?" Ally asks, but she seems to know the answer. _Tangled, Tarzan, Toy Story 1,2 and 3, Transformers, Thor._

"She's not like my mom," I say. "She's...in Annie's words, she's kind of a social climber, always trying to be the youngest, trendiest, richest, you get the picture." _Up._

"Does she have step-siblings?" Ally asks, as if trying to paint a mental image of my sister. _Valentine's Day. _

"Yeah, an older brother-"

"Step-brother," Ally rebuts, and I smile.

"Stepbrother," I ammend. "An older stepbrother named Liam, and a younger stepsister named Hallie." _A Walk to Remember, When In Rome, When Harry Met Sally._

"They sound..." No X movies.

"Rich. They're very rich." _You Again, Yes Man, Yours Mine & Ours._

"They are?" She asks, and I nod. No Z movies, I move onto numbers.

"Yeah, they are. My dad made a lot of money somehow, and then he married for the money, and bam! Richest people in their town." _13 Going On 30, 17 Again, 21 Jump Street._

"Is she happy?"

"She sounds...alright," I say truthfully. "She says she's...not _unhappy_ but she's definitely not happy either."

"You miss her a lot, don't you?" She aska gently, and I nod, summing up pretty much everything.

"Yeah. Yeah, I really do."

We sit in a sort of contemplative silence for a while, as I finish shuffling around the DVDs and Ally thinks.

"Thanks. For telling me, I mean."

"Hey, we're best friends, I figured you should know," I say, and she nods.

"I'll...tell you about my mom someday, alright?" She asks, taking me by surprise. "Just not today."

"No pressure," I agree, and get up. "Alright, so what do you want to do?"

/ /

We played four rousing games of Parcheesi, a couple rounds of Scene It, and we watched about three hours of _Full House _and _Friends_, per Ally's request. As the end credits for the show rolled on screen, I turned to Ally and asked what she wanted to do next.

"Could we walk around your building?" She asked hesitantly. "Not a big walk, just a small one, to get some fresh air?"

"Sure you're up for it?" I ask, and she nods, so I help her up.

"Let's get you some shoes and a jacket, just in case it's cold out," I mutter to myself, getting her some of my mom's stuff and wondering where Dez is with Ally's stuff.

"Have you ever thought about going to visit her?" Ally asks suddenly. "I bet your mom would let you."

"Yeah, I've thought about it," I say truthfully. "But I never do."

"Why not? I bet Annie misses you a lot." I steer her out of the apartment carefully and we begin the walk outside.

"Maybe she does, maybe she doesn't. Maybe she's pretty happy being a rich kid, and I'll show up and she won't want me there."

"I'm sure that wouldn't happen," Ally tries, but I shake my head.

"You never know, with my luck she wouldn't know who I am and my dad would kick me out." I gently help her down the stairs, and out into the sunshine. "Nice out here."

"Yeah, it is." She agrees. "I hope you see her soon," She says. "I really do."

"I want you to meet her," I say. "I bet you guys would get along well. I haven't seen her in a long time, but she was- and still is- a really cool girl."

"Wait, I've known you since we were ten, so how did I not-"

"I didn't meet you until after they left," I explain. "And at the time, I didn't want to do any explaining for anyone."

"Oh," She says as we loop around the little pond. "Hm."

"Austin," She says, at the same time I say "Ally." We both laugh uncomfortably and I tell her to go first, but she just shakes her head. "You go."

"It can wait until after whatever you were going to say," I say, squeezing her hand.

"I was just...saying that I was really happy with you, that's all," She said, turning bright red, and I smile, pulling her to me.

"I'm happy with you, too," I admit. "You're my best friend."

"We're going to be best friends forever," She says, in a voice like you'd hear on the playground of a school. "Forever and ever."

"And ever and ever," I add, playing along. "No matter what happens."

"No matter what happens?" She asks, making sure.

"Right," I reassure her. "I'll always be here for you, you know that?"

"Me too. For you. You know. Not me here for me, because that's stupid," She mumbles. "Sorry, that sounded stupid..."

"No, no, I got your point," I say. "We're best friends, no matter _what _happens," I say, leading up to my point. "So, uh, there's something we really need to talk about," I try, but she goes silent and shakes her head vigorously.

"No."

"Ally, we need to talk about it," I try again.

"No."

"Ally."

"No!"

"Ally, we have to talk about it," I say tiredly. "Okay?"

"I don't want to," She mumbles. "Don't make me."

"Look, Ally, I...I don't want you to leave either," I say, rubbing my head. "But I looked it up, and there might be a way for you to...uh...stay."

"Austin?"

"It's perfectly legal," I say, proud that I looked it all up.

"What is it?" She asks curiously, looking up at me.

I clear my throat again and take a deep breath.

"Marry me."

**A/N: So I'm just on a roll, popping out OC's like that. I really like the idea of Annie, and I kind of want her to come into the story at some point, and she probably-definitely-will. **

**So cliffy! How many of you guys knew? I bet a few of you did:) If you didn't, that was the big surprise:) What do you think she'll say? And how would it work out?**

**ANYWAY please review, stay safe and be happy.**

**xx**


	7. Dancing In The Dark

**Chapter 7- Dancing In The Dark**

**So I left you all with a little bit of a cliffy, didn't I? How many of you knew? Oh well, Disclaimer time: Um, I completely own this. I also own Harry Potter, Twilight, Percy Jackson, and every other million dollar franchise you can think of. Obviously.**

**Chapter 7 time! **

**And just so you know: This is T not M so there's going to be how many lemons? Zero, that's how many.**

**/ /Ally/ /**

"Marry me."

"Wha-what?" I stutter, completely unaware as to how he got to this point. "Marry you?"

"Yes," He says. "Marry me."

"Austin, what on-"

"Ally, listen, I figured it out, I researched it and everything! We can get you emancipated if you marry me!"

"But Austin, I'm sixteen! We can't get married!"

"Yes, we can," He rebuts. "If my mom agrees, we can. And actually, we only need one parent or guardian for me, and Uncle Richie is listed as my legal guardian, because my mom needed a bit of help, and he agreed to help me out. And usually, we'd need both or one of your parents, but if both parents are gone, all we need to do is have the judge okay it, or we can have Officer Swift vouch for you! See? And then we get married and bam! Everything is taken care of!" He smiles at me, and my heart melts at how much thought he has given this.

"But Austin, we're so young, and we're not even dating..." I try, but he just looks so dissapointed.

"I know we're young, but if only 1 teen marriage out of 100 lasted, I have this gut feeling we would be that one." He says it so sincerely I can't help but believe him.

"You're sure it'll work?" I ask cautiously, and he nods.

"I'm positive."

"But, we're still in school! What are we going to do, go to school and I'll write Mrs. Moon at the top of my papers?"

"You could," He says slyly, but laughs and shakes his head. "We don't have to tell anyone if you don't want to. We could even keep it a secret from Dez if you really wanted."

"I don't know..." I breathe. "This is...crazy!"

"But it's a way out," He says, and I know he's right. "And I'm willing to-"

"But I don't want that!" I cry, throwing my arms up in the air, but I wobble and he has to steady me. "I don't want you to marry me just because you're _willing! _When I get married, I want it to be because the person _loves me, _because they _want to."_

"I love you," He says seriously. "I love you a lot. Even if it's not...well I don't even know how I feel, alright? Sometimes I think I just love you as a best friend and sometimes I think I might..._love you love you_. Either way, I love you, and honestly, I want to marry you. It doesn't scare me, the thought of it. It feels kind of...right, you know? Like I'm doing the right thing."

I don't even know how it happens, but it does, and you know what? I don't even care, because it feels _good. _I start to cry.

It's him, I always feel like I can cry around him. I never have; I've always been too scared, but now it's pouring out of me like some kind of freaking Italian fountain, and It doesn't even scare me because it feels so darn good.

Austin rushes over and holds me, shushing me carefully. "Hey, hey don't cry, we don't have to get married, it was just a suggestion! Ooh, shh, I didn't mean to scare you, oh Ally, shh," He says, rocking me back and forth. "Shh."

"Y-y-yes," I say, half blubbering.

"What?" He asks, bending down to my level, and I repeat myself.

"Yes."

"Yes?"

"Yes, I'll marry you," I say, and I even manage a smile.

"You will?" He asks, as if he believes I'd never say yes, and I smile even wider.

"Yes, yes I'll marry you," I say again, and I laugh a bit as he twirls me around.

"This is great! Ally," He says, slowing down. "I meant it when I said I think I..._love _you."

"Me too," I admit. "I think so too. And I don't know why, but for whatever reason, the little thing I feel is telling me to marry you."

"I'm glad it told you that," He says. "I really am."

/ / Ally / /

I wore jeans to my wedding. Jeans and a really loose white sparkly shirt, it was the only thing I had that wasn't tight around my ribs and wasn't one of Austin's shirts. He wore jeans, too, so I wouldn't feel bad.

Austin drove us- and Uncle Richie- to the courthouse, and Uncle Richie had a buddy who was a judge. After Austin explained the whole thing, he agreed to let me get married without my parents there, as long as Uncle Richie vouched for Austin, and he gladly did.

We had waited until the day after he, for lack of better words, proposed. Austin thought we wouldn't have enough time to do it all in one day, and he was probably right.

I was really nervous; that's all I remember. Really, really nervous. I barely remember anything, except for the fact that Judge Harris' secretary Wendy spit a lot when she talked, and that there were mirrors on the ceiling.

And I remember saying 'I do,' as well, but only because I was so afraid it would come out 'Do I' instead.

"Austin, do you take Ally to be your lawfully wedded wife?"

"I do," He said, squeezing my hand and smiling at me.

"Ally, do you take Austin to be your lawfully wedded husband?" Judge Harris smiled a bit at the two of us, and I cleared my throat.

"I do," I said carefully, and quietly rejoiced inside for getting it right.

"Well then, I now pronounce you man and wi-" He didn't get to finish the sentence before Austin planted a careful kiss on my lips.

"Sorry, I was just a little impatient," He apologized, and I laughed.

"It's okay," I allowed, and leaned up to kiss him again, because just like the crying, it felt so damn _good. _Only in a completely different way.

"So, uh, what do we do now?" I asked after he pulled away.

"We could go to a movie," He joked, but I just rolled my eyes.

"We could go watch a zombie movie," He ammended, so I just turned away to thank Judge Harris.

"No problem, little lady, and I wish you all the best," He said before turning to Wendy and asking for a glass of water before his next case.

"Just kidding, Ally. Let's go home," He suggested, and I linked my hand with his.

"Yeah," I agreed. "Let's do that."

/ /

Uncle Richie left pretty much the second we got in the door, grabbing his nametag and heading for work, with a careful warning of, "Don't get too crazy now, kids, or Mimi will have my head and I don't feel like dying at the hands of my sister today."

Austin just laughed as he left and sat next to me on the couch, throwing his arm over me.

"So..." I said, scooting closer, but he stopped me.

"No, Ally," He said, laughing a bit.

"Why not?" I said, aware that I may have been whining, but come on, it was my wedding day! "I wore jeans, for crying out loud, at least give me this, bud!"

"Because, I'm waiting til your scars heal," He said, and I couldn't fault his logic there.

I pointed to my wrist, saying, "This will be good in about a month, and I don't really need it that much any-"

"How about your ribs?" He asked, gently poking them. "Hm?"

"They should be fine in about two months," I said, but it was all in vain. "Besides, they don't really hurt that much."

"Ally, you can't wear normally fitting shirts because they hurt too much, so obviously your ribs hurt, smarty pants," He rebutted, pulling me into his lap.

"Please?" I asked like a little kid might, but he just shook his head.

"I wasn't talking about those ones anyway," He said, and gently tapped my heart. "I'm talking about the ones in here."

I turned to look at him and he elaborated. "See the stitches on your leg, they should come out in what, three weeks? I think that's what the doctor said."

"These," He said, brushing over the stitches on my shoulder. "Two weeks, not that long."

He grabbed my hand gently, making sure not to hurt my wrist. "This is a month, only because it's not broken that badly."

"These," He said, motioning to my ribs. "These will take two months, but I think longer."

He rubbed his thumb over my forehead and I winced. "See, this here hurts. This will take a while."

He continued like that, gently pointing out my scars and stitches and bumbs and bruises, before motioning back to my heart again. "These, though, the doctors can't tell you exactly when it will be okay again. It could take a while, but we won't know. No doctor can put a cast around it and tell me when it will come off. But the scars in here," He said, tapping once more. "These are the important ones, and I'm waiting until those heal. Okay?"

"Okay," I said reluctantly. "Can we at least play Parcheesi?"

"Parcheesi it is," He agreed, and went to get the board game.

**/ Austin /**

"When are we going to tell your mom?" Ally asks, and I pause to think.

"Well I don't think Uncle Richie would have told her, do you?" I ask, and she shakes her head. "We should probably tell her tonight. She'll freak out, though."

"She'll hate me," Ally mumbles, and I shake my head.

"No, no she won't! She'll never hate you sweetie, she'll just be mad at me," I say. "Just for a bit, but she'll understand."

"She will?" Ally asks unsurely, and I nod.

"Yeah. She's the greatest woman I know," I say. "Don't worry."

"Really?"

"Austin, I'm home!" My mom's voice reverberates through the house and Ally cringes. "Ally, how are you?"

"Fine Mrs. Moon," Ally replies softly. "I'm doing fine."

"Good," She says appearing above our perch on the floor. "You look like you're doing better, whatever you two did today must have worked."

Ally blushed and looked down, and I coughed loudly, feeling uncomfortable. "Yeah, we played Parcheesi," I said truthfully. "Gotta love old boardgames."

"That's good, kids," She says tiredly. "Glad you're feeling better dear."

"Hey mom, Uncle Richie said he wasn't going to be home for dinner, said he was going out with some friends from work."

"Alright," She sighs. "I'll make some, uh...shoot, I need to go grocery shopping...I have some frozen pizza, I'll heat it up. Sound good?"

"Sounds great," Ally says, a little too eagerly. "I love pizza."

"Alright, it'll be ready in about ten minutes, give or take," Mom says, heading towards the kitchen and Ally hops up to follow her. "Want some help?"

"Oh no dear, that's fine. I'll just pop it in the oven and whapa!" She makes a little sound effect and claps her hands. "It'll be ready before you know it."

Ally nods and walks back over to me, plopping down on the ground. "Up for another round?"

/ / Ally / /

"So, mom, I, uh, I kind of have something to sort of tell you..." Austin draws out over his pizza. "But, er, I don't want you to freak out, okay?"

"What did you do now?" She asks, hesitantly. "Austin Moon, if you did something that's going to land you in jail, I can promise you, you won't see the outside world for a very long time," She threatens, half-joking, half-serious.

"No, no, it's all perfectly legal," He reassures, and then, with a little self-importance. "Trust me, I made sure of that."

"Austin..."

"Mom, did you know the Turners, the foster couple Ally was going to live with, they're moving to Oklahoma?"

"Uh, no...no, I wasn't aware of that," She says.

"Well they are," He continues. "And face it, none of us wanted Ally to go into foster care. At the rate this is going, we'd never see her again, am I right?"

"Er...yeah," She says unsurely.

"So I said to myself, let's get Ally emancipated!" His voice is joyful, his subject serious.

"Austin, we went over this, we can't-"

"Oh, yes we can," He rebuts quickly. "And we did."

"Austin, you heard Officer Swift, there's no way-"

"A minor is considered emancipated if they're pregnant, married, or in the military," He states. "Did you know that?"

"No, can't say I-" She stops as the wheels click in her head. "Wait a...you guys...you...Ally...oh...but how...what..."

"Uh, mom," Austin tries, but she's full-on rambling.

"You're not pregnant," She says, more to herself than to us. "I'm about 90% sure of that. And I'm almost positive you're not in the military, so that would leave you getting married, but obviously you didn't get married, that would be absolutely crazy, that would make no sense, since you guys are so young, that's insane, no way..."

"Mom," He tries again.

"You two got married, didn't you," She says clearly, looking us in the eyes.

"Mom-"

_"Didn't you."_

"Er...yeah, we did," Austin says, grabbing my hand. "Mom, you've gotta-"

"Austin!"

"Mom, please wait a-"

He doesn't continue, as she gets up and leaves the table, walking into her room.

"That went well," I sigh. "I told you she'd hate me."

"Alls, she doesn't hate you," Austin tells me again, as if he's tired of saying it. "She's just a little confused, probably."

I get up to clear the table, trying to get on Mrs. Moon's good side, if there's any such thing at this point.

"Well she's obviously confused on how much she hates me," I rebut, but Austin just rolls his eyes.

"Yeah Ally, whatever you say."

I pause in putting the pizza in plastic bags so I can look him in the eyes. "Do you, uh, regret marrying me?" I ask, not sure whether or not I want to know the answer.

"Alls, it's been a day," He says, dodging the question. "But you want the truth?"

"Yeah," I say unsurely. "I do."

"I don't regret it one single bit. My mom could kick me out for all I care, and I would never regret it, because it's you, and it's me, and it's us. And it feels right. Yeah."

"You mean that?" I ask, and he walks over to hold me.

"Yeah, I really do," He holds me close and I snuggle into his shoulder.

"You meant it, when you said you loved me." I don't ask it, I just know.

"Of course I did," He says gently. "I've always meant it."

"I meant it too." I say truthfully. "It's confusing and I don't really know when it happened, but I meant it."

"We're young," He reminds me of the words I said in the beginning.

"Yeah, we are," I agree.

"We're only sixteen," He continues, and I nod.

"But we love each other," He says. "For some reason we love each other."

"And for some reason," I add on. "For some crazy reason, it should be enough."

"Yeah, yeah it should." He agrees, leaning down to kiss me. "You know, we never got our dance as husband and wife."

"Are you asking me to dance?" I ask. "Right here, in the middle of the kitchen?"

"I believe I am, Miss Dawson," He says, extending a hand to me.

"Hey, it's Mrs. Moon now," I remind. "Sounds good, doesn't it?"

"It does," He agrees. "Mrs. Moon. Mrs. Ally Moon. Got a nice ring to it."

"Well then, Mrs. Moon, will you dance with me?" He extends his hand once more, and this time I take it.

"I would love to," I laugh. "We don't have any music, though," I say, but he waves that away.

"We'll make our own," He says before beginning to hum. "Guess the song."

_Hmm hmm_

_Hmm hmm hmm hmm_

_Hmm Hmm Hmm_

"It's my favorite song," I say when I realize it. "You remembered."

"Of course I did," He replies as he twirls me around the kitchen. "It's a good one."

"Would that make this our wedding song?" I ask carefully, and he nods before picking up the singing again.

_Forever can never be long enough for me  
To feel like I've had long enough with you  
Forget the world now we won't let them see  
But there's one thing left to do  
_

I bring my head close to his shoulder again as we twirl around. I can feel the vibrations as he sings, and it tickles against my ear.

_Now that the weight has lifted  
Love has surely shifted my way  
Marry Me  
Today and every day  
Marry Me  
If I ever get the nerve to say "Hello" in this cafe  
Say you will  
Mm-hmm  
Say you will  
Mm-hmm_

He dips me and I giggle as he brings me back up, kissing the top of my head before starting the next verse.__

Together can never be close enough for me  
Feel like I am close enough to you  
You wear white and I'll wear out the words I love you  
And you're beautiful  
Now that the wait is over  
And love and has finally shown her my way  
Marry me  
Today and every day  
Marry me  
If I ever get the nerve to say "Hello" in this cafe  
Say you will  
Mm-hmm  
Say you will  
Mm-hmm  


I giggle as he picks me up, twirling me around in the air a bit before setting me back down and twirling me around with his hand.

_Promise me  
You'll always be  
Happy by my side  
I promise to  
Sing to you  
When all the music dies  
_

I sigh contentedly as we keep dancing, and lean in closer, getting lost in the moment. We may be in the middle of a kitchen, dirty dishes around us and wearing jeans, but I wouldn't trade this dance for anything else.

_And marry me  
Today and everyday  
Marry me  
If I ever get the nerve to say "Hello" in this cafe  
Say you will  
Mm-hmm  
Say you will  
Marry me  
Mm-hmm  
_

He finishes and we're quiet, still spinning around and around, but slowly, we stop. He looks me right in the eye before leaning in to kiss me, and I reach up to meet him halfway. "I love you," He whispers.

"Love you, too," I say, reaching up once more, but we're interrupted by a loud throat clearing.

"You've always had a good voice," His mom says from her doorway. "Ever since you were a kid."

"Er...you saw that?" He says, scratching his head, but keeping an arm around me.

"Yeah, I did," She says, walking over to us. "I saw a lot, actually."

"Um," Austin starts. "Look, mom, I know you're upset..."

"I'm not upset."

"Mom, yes you are," He rebuts, but she shakes her head.

"I get why you guys did it," She says. "I really do."

"You do?" I pipe up, then immediately shutting my mouth.

"Yes dear, I do," She says, leaning out to run her hand over my head. "And while I may not be entirely _happy_ about it, I get it. And I'm not going to stand in your way."

"You're not?" He asks, shocked, and she shakes her head.

"Just as long as we agree on a few simple rules," She says, and I can tell she's thought this one through.

"What are they?" I ask, but I have a feeling I pretty much know them anyway.

"You're staying in school, for starters," She lists. "You're graduating and going to college."

"We'll do that," I say. "I already planned on that."

"Good for you," She says. "No babies for a while, okay?"

Austin and I shoot a look at each other, and he coughs. "That's...not an issue at the moment."

"It's not?" She asks in surprise. "Well, when it...is...just...uh...oh gosh...just be quiet. Or warn me, so I know not to...um...come in the house..."

Austin clears his throat uncomfortably and we all look in seperate directions.

"So, uh...you guys planning on living here, still?" She asks, and I look over to Austin. "I didn't think that one through," He says sheepishly. "Erm...hm."

"You can stay here for a while," She says. "But at some point, you're going to have to move out, kids."

"We will," I say. "I promise we won't just stay with you forever."

"Just until we go to college or get enough money to move out," Austin adds on. "Promise."

"Well...I guess I don't have anything else to tell you guys," She says. "Not at this particular moment..."

"So she can stay?" Austin asks, and she rolls her eyes.

"Yeah, she can stay."

"Hear that babe?" He cheers, turning to me. "You can stay!"

I giggle as he dips me, and leans down for another kiss. "Love you."

"Love you too," I say, twining my hands through his hair. "Love you too, so much."

**A/N: So I'm not even going to make any commentary here because this whole chapter is pretty much self-explanatory. So...yes. Yes.**

**Who was a little surprised? Who wasn't? Who was kind of excited? I'm just going to shut up now...**

**Is it sad that I kind of seriously adored their dance? It wasn't even planned...**

**Please review, stay safe, and be happy!**

**xx**


	8. Lonely No More

**Chapter 8: ****Lonely No More**

**Disclaimer: I only own the plotline...**

**Fair warning, I hate this chapter. So. Much. It is seriously awful.**

**/ /**

Austin, Mrs. Moon and I are sitting around the table eating some of her "famous" Dutch Apple Pie, talking about everything and nothing, and pretty much avoiding all awkward topics.

"So, um, are you guys going to-"

"Austin Monica Moon!" The voice of one insanely angry redhead booms through the door, followed by incessant knocking. "You open this door right now!"

Austin shoots me a look, mouthing _Dez. _He was supposed to come a few days ago, with a bag of my clothes, according to Austin, but he never showed up and they hadn't talked since. "_AUSTIN_!"

"Alright, alright, I'm coming," He mutters, walking to the door and opening it, Dez flashing inside in a blur of green and bright yellow. "Why! Didn't! You! Tell! Me!" He shouts, thwacking Austin with a large duffel bag after every word. "I Thought! We! Were! Best! Friends!"

"Ow, shit Dez, cut it out!" Austin cries, trying to grab the bag from him, resulting in a cat-and-mouse chase around the apartment.

"Boys," Mrs. Moon says tiredly. "Stop it. Dez, come eat some pie with us. Dutch Apple."

"Ooh, my favorite," He says, completely forgetting about his argument with Austin. "Don't mind if I do."

"Dez, what was all that bout, man?" Austin asks, rubbing his head. "Cuz jeez, that hurt."

"I went to the movies today," He offers up as explanation. "Uncle Richie was working there. I was early, we made small talk. And you know what he accidentally let slip? That you two went to an appointment today, and then he said something about leaving you two alone to "process this", and BAM it hit me!"

"Dez, we were going to tell you, I promise, but we wanted to tell Mrs. Moon first," I say, and he turns to her.

"Mrs. Moon, how do _you _feel about this?" He chews his pie thoughtfully.

"Well, I-"

"Exactly. How could my _two best friends not tell me that they were having a BABY!" _He shouts, and we all stare at him in shock before bursting out into laughter.

"D-dez," I say between tears. "I-I'm not pregnant, hon."

"Of course you are," He says confusedly. "What other appointment-oh," He says. "I get it now."

"You do?" Austin asks, still laughing. "We didn't even."

"How could you adopt a puppy without telling me?" He shouts, and this time I just roll my eyes.

"Nope."

"Go to the dentist without telling me!"

"No."

"Go to therapy without telling me!"

"No!"

"Get married without telling me!"

"Er...we're sorry?" Austin says. "We were going to tell you, I swe-"

"Dude, I threw that one in as a joke," Dez says. "Oh my god, are you guys serious?" He gets up, pacing the room, before coming over and shaking Austin's shoulders. "My best friend is a married man?"

"Er...yeah," He says. "I am."

"My _two best friends got married?" _He shouts, walking over to us, and I cringe, but he softens his tone, hugging us. "Aw! My two best friends _got married!" _He singsongs. "This is so great!" He sways back and forth, an arm around each of us, humming the wedding march. "Guys! I love you, this is so great!"

He stops and takes his arm off of me, putting his hands on Austin's shoulders. "Dude. You didn't even get a bachelor party."

"And he won't be getting one," Mrs. Moon buts in. "My son won't be going to _any _bars or strip clubs or whatever you had in mind, Dez William Fisher, so you can kindly forget it."

"Mrs. Moon, I'm insulted!" He says, throwing a hand to his heart. "That you think I would engage in any kind of activity like that is awful! I was merely suggesting-"

"Quit while you're ahead," She quips, and he sighs. "Yes ma'am."

"Well congrats you guys," He says. "This is...shocking...but I'm not surprised. I figured you all would figure out this was the best way to get her emancipated," He throws out as if it's nothing, then remembers the bag. "Oh! Ally, here's your clothes! Sorry it took so long, I had to get over the fact that it felt creepy to be in your room without you there...yikes," He shudders, as if at a particularly bad memory, then hands the duffel to Austin. "I just got you the basics, jeans, shirts, sweats, sweaters, sweatshirts, you know...should last a while, but eventually-"

"Thanks Dez," Austin says. "Now, would you like to join us in some wedding pie?"

/ /

"Austin?" I whisper later that night as he crawls onto the couch next to me. "This was a good day."

"It was good, wasn't it?" He asks. "I'd say so."

"Thanks," I say, turning towards him. "For doing it all. You know, for me."

"Hey, I'd say I got a pretty good end of the deal, too," He protests. "I got to stay with you, didn't I?"

"That's right," I say, snuggling close to him. "That you did."

/ /

Officer Swift was not happy. Nor was he amused when we pulled our innocent grins. He did, however, commend Austin on his quick thinking and legal research.

Mrs. Moon was pretty much used to it, I think. I tried to be helpful and not too annoying, but you never know. I think she liked having an extra set of hands to do dishes and cook dinner sometimes, though.

Uncle Richie, for his part, wanted to move out and give us his room. Austin was not in favor of this plan and neither was Mrs. Moon. I just kept my mouth shut, not wanting to upset anyone. Sure, it would be nice to not have to sleep on a couch, but I can't exactly be picky here.

As for Dez, well he was...managing. Sometimes he'd get weirded out, but 90% of the time he was just usual Dez.

And Austin and I? Well we...had our moments.

/ /

"Oh my god, Austin, I can walk to the bathroom without you helping me!" I cried, throwing my hands in the air.

"Well _sorry _for caring," He yelled back. "Sorry for making sure you don't get hurt!"

"It's _walking_! I do that all the time!"

"And you're still banged up, I don't want you to get hurt any more!" He shouted, crossing his arms.

"These weren't self-inflicted bruises, Austin," I said, annoyed. "_I _didn't give these to myself by _walking._"

"Fine, whatever, I don't care! Don't care at all!" He shouted, walking away.

/ /

"You're hogging the blankets," Austin muttered.

"No, you are," I mumbled back. "Stop it."

"No you are!" He said, sitting up. "See? You've got, like, five inches more!"

"Just go to bed," I snapped, pulling the covers all the way over me.

"_Go the hell to sleep!" _Mrs. Moon shouted from her room, and I scowled.

"Yeah Austin, listen to your mom," I muttered lowly.

/ /

"Austin, let me use the shower!" I called, banging on the door. "You've been in there for like an hour, it's my turn!"

I was only met with the hum of the shower for the next half hour.

/ /

But, for the most part, everything was really good with the two of us. He was a great guy; I'd landed with the best friend- and, even though it's still weird to say, husband. It doesn't really feel like that, though. It's more like we're just...dating and living together...with the occasional feeling of feeling like his wife; and it's a good feeling.

/ /

"Alls, come back to bed," a sleepy Austin muttered. I was standing in the kitchen, refrigerator open as I was absentmindedly refilling my glass of water but never drinking more than a sip of it. "Alls, it's 3:00 in the morning," he tried again, walking up to me. "What're you doing sweetie?"

"Just couldn't sleep," I said, pressing my cheek to his chest. "Wanted some water."

"Did you have a bad dream?" He said, plucking the glass out of my hand and resting it on the counter.

"Yeah," I said, as he began to twirl us around, the refrigerator still open, but forgotten.

"You wanna talk about it?" He said as we slowly turned around.

"Not really," I shrugged. "Just stay with me?"

He nodded as he began to hum. "_Here we are again, in the middle of the night, and we're dancing around the kitchen in the refrigerator light_..."

I giggled as we turned around once more, and he kissed the top of my head. The light illuminated our faces, a brightness in the midst of all the black.

/ /

"We've gotta go out, Ally," he said tiredly. "And for the last time, I'm not leaving you here."

"But...but what if people...know?" I asked quietly, and he walked over to sit with me.

"Some of them probably will," he said truthfully. "But who cares? I'll be with you the whole time, and you don't have to talk to anyone if you don't want to."

"But what if people ask me where my dad is?" I tried, scared.

"Then I'll tell them that it's none of their business and to suck it," he joked. "It doesn't matter. I'll be there. Alright?"

"Just the grocery store, right?" I asked, making sure. Mimi was at work as well as Uncle Richie and we needed to go grocery shopping; I really didn't want to go out yet. I was afraid that people would ask questions. _God _I hate the questions.

"Just the grocery store and then we'll go straight home," he reassured. "We can even pick up some of the brownie mix you wanted and make some."

"I do love my brownies," I said thoughtfully. "Double fudge?"

"Double fudge," he said, laughing and grabbing his keys. "Come on."

/ /

"Austin, they're staring," I muttered, keeping my head down as we walked down the frozen goods aisle.

"No they're not," he laughed. "And if they are, it's because you're wearing jeans and a sweatshirt in 100 degree weather." He grabbed frozen peas and corn and added them to the cart, grabbing my hand so I'd walk with him.

"I don't want the bruises to show," I explained.

"I know," he said. "It's just hot out, that's all. Come on, we have to get deli meat."

"Ally? Austin?" A shocked voice cried, and I looked up to see none other than Tilly Thompson, head cheerleader and annoying Austin-lover and Ally-hater. "What are you two doing here?" Her eyes drifted down and she saw our linked hands. An annoyed scowl floated across her face- she had an enormous crush on Austin. "Grocery shopping?"

"No," I said sarcastically. "We're elephant hunting."

"_Ally_," warned Austin, turning back to Tilly. "Just picking up some stuff for my mom, how about you?"

"Oh, you know, just picking up some supplies for my party this weekend." She smiled sickeningly at Austin. "I'd love it if you-I mean, uh, you GUYS could come." Something about the way she said it gave me the impression she didn't want me to be there. "It's a last weekend of summer party."

"Sure, sounds like fun, we'll see if we can make it," Austin said, adding a box of Ritz crackers to the cart.

"_Everyone _is going to be there," She bragged. "I've invited your friend Dez- he's a little crazy sometimes, but I heard he can be fun at times...and Trish and her boyfriend, Trent...even Cassidy, and Elliot, and Dallas...well, actually, I've invited pretty much everyone. It's a word-of mouth type of thing," She explained. "Well, see you guys then?"

"Sure," Austin allows. "We'll try and come by. Saturday? Your house?"

"Yup, starts at 7:30 but ends whenever I feel like it," Tilly said, laughing obnoxiously. "The 'rents won't be home." She winked flirtilly at my husband (I still get a laugh out of saying that.) and he gulped, but stayed polite.

"Right. Well, we have to finish our shopping, so see you later," He waved goodbye and walked further down the aisle, grabbing a box of cookies and some brownie mix, as promised.

"Austin, I don't...I mean, it's Tilly..._Tilly Thompson_...we don't...I mean...she hates me," I stutter. "Please don't..."

"Ally, it might be fun," He says, adding instant oatmeal to the cart. "It might be good for you to get out of the house, and get used to hanging out with the people who will be out school," He explains.

"But...but it's Tilly, she hates me!" I cry, grabbing a box of cereal.

"Ally, I think it'll be good for you to get out of the house," He says tiredly. "Even if it's just for an hour or two."

"You're going to make me go, aren't you?" I sigh, reorganizing the cart to fit the granola bars.

"It'll be good for you," He offers as explanation.

/ /

"Relax," Austin whispered to me. "You look beautiful, and I'll be with you the whole time."

"I'm just nervous someone will ask...questions," I explain, and Austin sighs as he parks the car.

"Ally, eventually someone _is_ going to ask questions, but we're going to face them together, alright baby?" I smile at the endearment and take Austin's hand as he helps me out of the car.

"I...like when you call me that," I say blushing.

"I'll have to say it more often, huh?" He said, slinging an arm around my shoulder as we walked up Tilly's driveway, the party's music thumping through the house.

"I hate Tilly," I mutter. "She hates me, but she's completely in love with you."

"Yeah. but you're the one I'm going home with tonight," He reminded gently. "I won't leave you, alright?"

"Promise?"

"Promise."

**/ / Austin / /**

"Austin! Hey man!" I peer into the house as my name is called- Elliot Jackson, Dallas Hamilton, Carter Wellit, and Travis Declan are perched by the bar; some of the cheerleaders are hanging on to them.

"Hey guys," I acknowledge, walking over with Ally. "What's up?"

"You trying out for the team this year?" Carter asks, his arms around Hadley and Lacey Swan; identical redheaded twins in our grade.

"I'm not sure," I say truthfully. "Maybe."

"Hey, you two are together now?" Cecelia- Cece for short- asks me, motioning to my arm over Ally's shoulder. I shoot her a look, and her eyes widen as she silently leaves it up to me.

"Er...yeah, sorta," I admit. "Yeah."

"You owe me twenty bucks," Travis says to Elliot, who reluctantly pays up.

"Dude, you guys bet on us?" I ask disbelievingly. "Unbeliebable, man!"

"Hey, we all thought it would happen at some point or another," Dallas laughed. "Know how many teenage girls' hearts you're probably breaking right now?"

"_Tiiillly_," Hadley and Lacey sang.

"Don't forget Courtney Knight," Cece added.

"She's been in love with you since second grade!" Dallas laughed. "I never stood a chance."

"Ally, looking good," Travis whistles at her. "Summer's been good to you." She laughs, but I can tell she's uncomfortable.

"You too, Travis." She said,scooting closer to me.

"Do anything exciting this summer?" Hadley asked Ally, as I began to talk with Elliot and Travis. Ally froze, as the answer was yes, but we'd both agreed to keep it a secret for now.

"Er...not really," Ally fibbed, and I turned back to the guys.

"So, you guys ready to head back?" I asked, trying to keep it to pretty neutral stuff. I was afraid they'd ask me something and I'd just spit out-

_"You guys are married?" _Trish whispered in my ear, dragging both Ally and I away_. "What the hell?"_

"Nice to see you too," Ally said bitterly. "Haven't seen you all summer, this was a nice hello."

Trish just held up a hand and turned back to me. "Explain."

"Don't talk to her like that," I said to Trish, and she just rolled her eyes.

"Look, I have to get back to Trent, he's waiting over there," She giggled and waved to her boyfriend, who blew a kiss back. Ally quietly gagged and I tried not to laugh. "Can you _please _just explain why two of my best friends got _married_?"

"Are you sure they're your best friends?" Dez asked, appearing next to us. "They used to be, I wouldn't say you're exactly a friend to them anymore."

"I already explained this to you, Red," She says to Dez. "Trent really doesn't like when-"

_"You hang out with us," _We all chorused. "We know, ever since Austin beat him out for pretty much, oh, everything, since the fifth grade," Dez adds. "What else is new?"

"Look, I still care about you guys," She says, sighing. "But I really want to make things work with Trent."

Ally nodded and leans into me. "I know, I know," She says. "I just don't think he's that good for you, Trish," She says kindly, leaning a hand out to Trish, who jerks it away.

"He's great for me!" Trish cries defensively, and we all shrink back. "I'm sorry, I just...never mind. So, uh, are you guys going to explain why you got married?" She asks, and something clicks in my brain.

"Who told you?" I ask, and turn to Dez, who just smiles sheepishly.

"She may have...threatened it out of me," He admits. "I kind of let slip that you guys were together, and she asked why, and then...yeah. I'm sorry guys, I really am."

"Trish, _please_, you can't tell anyone!" Ally pleads, then cuts her eyes to me. "We agreed to keep it secret for now."

"But this is so-" She starts, but I hold up a hand to her like she did to Ally.

"No. You _won't _be telling anyone, got it, Trish?" I ask, and she nods, either in fear or shock, not quite sure which.

"I promise," She says, and turns to Ally. "Alls, I'm really sorry that we haven't talked all summer. And I'm, uh, especially sorry about," She glances around the room to make sure no one is listening before continuing. "About the...circumstances...that you had to marry Austin for."

"I didn't _have _to marry him," Ally says softly, wrapping her arms around my bicep. "But...thanks."

"Why didn't you tell me?" Trish asks, and I can tell, that underneath all her makeup, she's hurt.

Ally shrugs, and offers as an answer. "I didn't tell Austin or Dez either."

"Hey boo!" A deep voice calls, and we turn to see Trent glaring at Trish. "Come on!"

She turns to us apologetically. "Sorry guys, I've got to go. But, um, maybe we could all catch up sometime?" The words _in secret _are unspoken, but we all hear them clearly.

"Sure," Ally says, and Dez and I follow suit, though I'm still annoyed with Trish, mainly for ignoring us, and dating Trent I suppose.

"Hey Trish," I call, as softly as I can over the thumping music. "He doesn't deserve you," I say clearly. She smiles slightly before walking back over to Trent, and Dez sighs.

"He's not good for her," Dez observes. "I don't like him."

"Me either," I reply. "We should probably go talk to some other people, huh?"

Dez nods and leads us over to where he was standing with Cassidy Tyler and Dallas joins us. "So you guys, you're cute," Cassidy says, motioning to Ally and I. "Knew it would happen, too."

"Er...thanks?" Ally asks, and Cassidy laughs. "You're adorable Ally," She says, and Ally just laughs. "Thanks."

"So man, you two," Dallas says to me. "You guys got into bed yet?"

I glare at him and he shrinks back. "Dallas, don't," I warn, and he nods.

Ally unwraps her arms from me and moves to stand by Cassidy; I'm sort of proud of her, it's a good step forward for her.

"You like her, don't you?" I say quietly to Dallas. "Cassidy?"

He turns red and walks further away from the girls, motioning for Dez and I to follow. "We kind of...had a thing this summer," He admits. "But she sort of stopped talking to me, and now...now I miss her."

"Just tell her," I say, grabbing a drink. "She's a nice girl."

"Really nice," He says, a thoughtful look appearing on his face briefly. "Yeah, she's really nice. Just like Ally," He observes, and I look over to my wife and smile a little bit.

"Yeah, she's really nice," I agree. "Both of them are."

/ / Ally / /

"So, dish," Cassidy gushes. "Austin, he's like, amazing, tell me about his amazingness!" She cries, handing me a cookie, which I have no intention of eating. I hate oatmeal raisin.

"His amazingness?" I laugh, and she nods eagerly. "He is pretty amazing," I agree. "You don't know the half of it."

"I heard you were living with him," She says seriously. "Um...are your parent okay with- oh, oh I'm so sorry, I did't mean-" She says apologetically. "Ally, I'm really sorry, I didn't mean to bring that up!"

"It's fine," I say. "Don't worry about it. And um," I stall, looking over at Austin. "My mom obviously doesn't know, and my dad...well...it's complicated," I say, smiling wryly. "Sorry, it's just-"

"Complicated," She finished. "I get it."

"Yeah," I agree. "Hey, Dallas is looking at you," I nod over to where he's standing with Austin and Dez and she turns away, red.

"Do you like him?" I ask, but she just shakes her head tightly and refuses to look at him. "Oh my gosh, you do!"

It's nice to feel like a completely normal teenager for once, just gossipping about schoolgirl crushes. "Come on, you can tell me!" I poke her shoulder and she laughs, shaking her head.

"We had a thing over the summer," She admits. "We dated since the last week of school until two weeks ago...and then he told me he loved me and I freaked out, and we kind of...ended. And now I..."

"Miss him?" I fill in. "Want him back?"

"Maybe," She smiles. "Eh...anyway, right now I'm more interested in you and Austin. Everybody knew it would happen!" She shrieks, getting excited again and grabbing my hand. "Ya'll are adorable!"

"Did you just say ya'll?" I laugh, and she laughs.

"My aunt from Louisiana is visiting, her accent kind of got to me," She giggles. "I've been saying ya'll all day long!"

"You really think we're adorable?" I ask, looking over to Austin, who waves a little bit.

"Yup, you are," She giggles. "Ooh, he and Dallas are coming over here...I've gotta go, tell them I went to the bathroom, kay?"

"Cassidy-" I call, but she rushes off, and I sigh as I turn to face Austin. "She went to the bathroom," I explain, and Dallas' face droops. "I'm sure she'll be right back," I assure, and Austin comes over to stand with me.

"Do you wanna go home now?" He asks quietly in my ear, and I nod. "Thought so, you're looking tired."

"We haven't seen Tilly all night," I observe. "Maybe we should go find her and say we came so she doesn't go all crazy on you at school."

Austin just laughs and swings an arm around my shoulder as we head toward the door. "There she is," He says. "Bye Tilly!" He calls, making sure she sees us before rushing out the door and into the car.

"Drive, drive, drive," I cheer, and we laugh the whole way home.

/ /

"Austin," I bring up as we sit at home. "We're alone..."

"Ally," He protests. "I told you..."

"Austin, please?" I ask, but he shakes his head.

"Ally, I told you," He says, running a hand over my hair. "Besides, I'd rather not do it on my mom's couch anyway."

"But...but...the...it's not binding yet," I protest, and he just hugs me close.

"Not here, alright? Sometime, but not...today. You're worth way more than a couch, got it?" He kisses the side of my head and leans back. "Love you."

"Love you too," I reply. "But why do you have to be right all the time?"

"It's a burden, but I'll manage," He jokes, and I swat his stomach.

"Oh hush." I scold, then yawn and close my eyes. "I'm going to bed, tomorrow's the last day of summer."

**A/N:**

**So...I hate this chapter. I couldn't seem to write it, it all just went poop.**

**Please review, stay safe and be happy!**

**xx**


	9. Pancake Substitute

**Chapter 9: Pancake Substitute**

**So I HATE last chapter with pretty much all my being, it was just...boring...I hit like a dead patch there...**

**So here's this...I know where the story is going, I'm just having an issue getting there, it's like...a rough patch or whatever...I hate this chapter too.**

**May I just say, I did NOT intend for this chapter to pretty much be...like a crack!chapter in the beginning. Austin is like...insane here, in his POV. But I...don't know how that happened...he still makes me laugh though...and then it gets all dramatic...**

... ... ... ...

"Last day of summer, what do you want to do?" I ask Ally, and she scrunches her face as she thinks. "Want to go to the beach?"

"Sure, we could go," She says, and I blink in surprise. Ally hates the beach, and she's been deadset against going since she has bruises and scars all over.

"Really?" I ask, making sure, and she nods happily, already getting ready. "I thought you didn't like the beach, or want to go."

"Well I don't," She says truthfully. "like the beach, that is. But I like being with you, and besides, it's going to get cold soon, I think we should go be in the sun." And I've been wearing jeans all summer, it might be my last chance to wear clothes that _aren't _made for the winter."

"Can't wait," I say, playing with her hair. "Go get ready, I'll wash the dishes, kay?"

"Sounds like a plan, cookie man," She says, and I cock an eyebrow. "Uh, what?"

"You've never said that?" She asks, laughing, and I just shake my head at her silliness.

"I can honestly say I have never said 'sounds like a plan cookie man'," I say, raising my right hand. "Cross my heart and hope to die."

"Uh...what?" She asks, and this time she's the one cocking an eyebrow at my saying.

"Cross my heart and hope to die, it's kind of like saying swear on my life or whatever," I explain, and she just shakes her head.

"Dude, you've got some weird sayings. Never heard of cookie man, but you cross your heart and hope to die? Who the heck would _hope to die?_" She laughs. "I married a psycho."

"Oh, so you think I'm a psycho, do you?" I tease, reaching out to tickle her, but she darts away. "You're the psycho!" I chase her around the room, shaking the towel I used to dry the dishes off. "You're the psycho one here!"

"Oh no, Austin Moon, Ally Dawson is not a psycho!" She cries, running circles around the room. "excuse me, Ally Mo-haha," She begins to laugh uncontrollably as I grab her by the waist and tickle her. "Stop that!"

"Not until you admit that you're the psycho one," I cry, tickling her even more. "You're the psycho one in this marriage!"

"And why...would I...be...psycho..." She gasps between laughs. "Why...aren't...you...the...psycho one!"

"Because!" I say, trying not to laugh but failing miserably. "Because you're talking about cookie men," I explain, tickling her gently. "No normal person I know of just goes around talking about cookie men."

"You're the...one...crossing your...heart...and hoping...to die!" She shrieks, doubling over as I tickle her stomach. "Nobody hopes...to...die...Austin Moon!"

"No one's actually hoping to die here," I say calmly as I tickle her, ignoring her shrieks of laughter. "It's the same thing as saying I swear to God. This is normal, people swear all the time. However, nobody goes around just talking about cookie men. Therefore, you, my wife, are psycho."

She's getting out of breath so I stop tickling her and we lay on the floor, still laughing. "That was...awfully...thought out," She pants. "For someone attacking me, you had a whole speech planned out. That, blonde guy I call my husband, is pretty psycho."

"No, no, you've got it all wrong," I rebut, taking her hand in mine and noting how small her hands are compared to mine. "See, in all those superhero movies, the villain always takes a long time detailing their speech to the hero so they have enough time to get rescued. That's not psycho, that's good movie scripting."

"This isn't a movie, and you do realize you just called yourself a villain, right?" She teases, squeezing our hands together. "You're not only psycho, you have some serious issues, too."

"No, I just know my superhero movies," I say with a straight face. "And I'm not a villain! For all you know, I could be Spiderman."

"Your name isn't Peter Parker," Ally says sarcastically. "I don't think you're Spiderman."

"Maybe I really am Peter Parker but I just go by Austin Moon so nobody gets suspicious, ever think of that?" I throw out, and she just rolls her eyes. "Heck, for all you know, I could be hiding a Spiderman suit in the closet."

"I don't think you can swing from building to building with spider webs, dear," She says, patting my head. "You're not that coordinated."

I get up, jumping around. "Oh, oh, wait! My spidey senses are tingling!" I cry dramatically, picking her up and twirling her around. "Told you."

"Austin Moon, put me down, you jerk!" She cries, and I just laugh.

"Not until you admit I'm Spiderman." I say adamantly. "You've got to say it."

"No way!" She giggles. "You are not that cool!" I spin around fast, getting the both of us dizzy.

"You're going to regret saying that," I warn, spinning around as fast as possible without tripping. "You're really gonna get it now!"

"No!" She shrieks, her hair flying around her face wildly. "You're not Spiderman!"

I set her down, and she wobbles from all the spinning, so I lean out and steady her. "Just you wait, Dawson," I warn, then catch myself. "Moon, I mean Moon. Just you wait, you're going to get it. Sneak attack, and it'll be coming at any hour of the day or night, you'll never know, because, after all, I'm Spiderman!" And with that I rush out of the kitchen and into the bathroom, slamming the door for emphasis.

"Spiderman," I whisper to myself. "I've got some _mad _spidey skills."

... ... ... ...

"Aren't you hot?" Ally asks me, as we lay on our towels in the sun.

"Yes, in fact, I am," I reply, reading through _Rolling Stone. _"In more ways than one."

"Shut up," She says, laughing lightly. "And if you're hot, why are you still wearing your sweatshirt?"

"Because you're still wearing yours," I say simply. "I'm not taking mine off until you do."

"Austin, you're going to get overheated, come on," She tries, but I just ignore her. "Austin, I've got bruises all over me, I actually have a reason for wearing my sweatshirt."

"Well I have a reason, too," I say quietly. "So there ya go."

"Austin..." She groans. "For God's sake, just take off your sweatshirt, it's like 100 degrees out here."

"Should listen to your own advice," I singsong.

"Austin!" She cries, sitting up and glaring at me. "God, just take it off, Austin!

"You're so stubborn," I groan. "Look, it's just us out here, we're the only ones in this section of the beach! You don't even have to wear your bathing suit, just take your sweatshirt off before you die of heat exhaustion."

"Austin," She sighs. "What if someone like...comes and sees me?"

"Then I'll use my spidey skills," I say plainly. "I've got you covered, babe."

"For the last time, you don't have spidey skills," Ally says, but takes off her sweatshirt anyway. "You have zero spidey skills, Austin."

"I'm telling you, one day I'm going to sneak attack you with them," I say, standing up and stretching. I quietly walk over to where she's laying and pick her up. "Sneak attack!" I shout, running towards the water. "I got you!"

"Austin Moon, put me down!" She shouts. "This is like the fourth time today!"

"You're just jealous," I laugh as I dump her in the water. "There, now you're all cooled off."

"Austin, I'm going to get you!" She threatens from her seat in the water. "I have sand in my bathing suit."

"It's going to get in your hair too," I cry, dumping some over her head. She sits, shocked, before jumping up and hurling clumps at me.

"Let's see your spidey skills save you now!" She shouts gleefully, throwing a muddy clump of sand at my chest. "Ha! Not much of a superhero now, are you?"

"I'm a superhero and you know it!" I cry indignantly, crossing my arms over my now sandy chest. "Hmph."

Ally laughs and walks (as quickly as she can, through the water) over to me, wrapping her arms around my waist. "Hola, mi esposo."

"Since when do you speak Spanish?" I act skeptically.

"Trish taught me some a while back," She admits. "Felt like breaking out some español."

"Si, muchacha," I adlib, pulling out a phrase from the Spanish soap operas Dez's mom sometimes watched when we were there. "Tu eres muy bonita."

"I'm getting bored of Spanish, know any Latin?" She asks, and I shake my head. "Me either. Well in that case...how about getting some ice cream instead?" She asks, and I chuckle, but begin walking in the general direction of the ice cream shop.

"Since when is ice cream a substitute for Latin?" I ask. "This is new."

"I just wanted some ice cream," She admits. "I didn't really want to hear any Latin. Besides, I don't think you and I could speak Latin very well if we tried. The extent of my foreign language skills is the occasional Spanish I pick up from Mrs. de la Rosa." She swings our hands back and forth as we pack up our stuff and walk over the beach hill, stopping short when she sees the overcrowded beach. "Woah, it was not this busy two hours ago," She observes, and I hum my agreement, but keep walking, hoping she won't ask to put on her sweatshirt again.

"I think I'm going to get two scoops, it's hot outside," I complain, tugging her over the thick sand. "Maybe three. Or four or five. Maybe even six or seven. Who knows, eight, nine, ten..." I trail off, fantasizing about ice cream, (Hey, it's almost as good as pancakes, don't judge.) and I can practically hear Ally roll her eyes.

"Austin," She starts, but just stops, knowing there's no getting between me and my food. "Hey look," She starts again. "There's Dallas and Cassidy. Wonder if they made up?"

"Who knows," I muse. "They confuse me."

"Everything confuses you," Ally laughs. "Unless it's pancakes. Though pancakes aren't that confusing."

"Hey hey hey," I say, stopping her short, and looking her straight in the eyes. "Let's not underestimate the awesomeness, complexity, and fine tuned details that is pancakes."

"Austin, it's _pancakes, _a common breakfast food. Flour, milk, eggs. Bam. Pancakes. How is that _complexity _or _fine tuned details?_" Ally laughs and shakes her head, walking further up the beach.

"Woah, woah. Woah. If you're going to be my wife, you've got to understand the complexity of pancakes." I start listing off my points, counting on my fingers. "First, the right ration of flour to milk to eggs is needed to make the fluffiest kind, and then you need just the right amount of heat on each side for just the right amount of time or else they just turn out sloppy. It is _not_, as you put it, Bam. Pancakes are not Bam. As to the fine tuned details, how can you not appreciate a good banana pancake, or blueberry or chocolate chip one, from time to time? But the right amount is needed for that, too. You can't just dump in blueberries to the batter and expect them to turn out well, it's just sloppy craftsmanship."

"Okay, first of all," Ally laughs. "I'm already your wife, so you can't exactly work that angle. And second...are you sure you want to stay in school? Why don't you just drop out and become a pancake connoisseur instead?" We arrive at the front of the ice cream shop and I hold the door open as we go in, the cold air blasting our faces.

"Think I could make a living out of pancakes?" I ask thoughtfully. "Oh my gosh, think they have a pancake ice cream flavor?"

"Probably not, hon," She says sympathetically. "They might have some kind of cake batter flavor, though."

"But I want pancake batter!" I shout, and the whole shop turns to look at me. "Look away, folks, nothing to see here," I mutter.

"Just a guy more in love with pancakes then his wife," Ally whispers back before breaking out in giggles. "And you know it too!"

"No, no, I love you equally," I say seriously, after some thought. "Some days more than others, but...equal."

"I'm glad you had to think about it," She says, moving up to the cash register. "Hi, I'll have one scoop of...er, no pickles, hm...French vanilla, please."

"That's so boring," I say. "Don't let her get the boring flavor, Tim," I say, reading the teenager's nametag. "Please, spare her from the boring monotony that is French vanilla."

"Austin," Ally laughs. "I can get French vanilla if I want French vanilla."

"I'm paying, though, and I'm not a French Vanilla liking guy. So if you're going to get the boring French Vanilla, get it with sprinkles or something, at least!"

"Austin," Ally says, exasperated. "Fine, I'll have French Vanilla with rainbow sprinkles please."

I cough.

"And gummy worms."

I cough.

"And chocolate sprinkles."

I cough.

"And chocolate syrup, are you happy now?" Ally cries, and Tim just looks at us.

"Will that be all?" He asks, bored, but I hold up a hand. Do not get between me and my ice cream, man.

"Er, yes, do you have pancake flavor?" I ask carefully, and Ally throws her hands in the air and walks to the end of the counter to recieve her ice cream.

"No," Tim says. "Dude, we don't have pancake flavor."

"Fine, do you have pancake substitute?" I try again, and he just rolls his eyes. Well screw you, Tim.

"Look man, I just get paid to scoop ice cream. Occasionally I have harder orders, like the one you just made your little girlfriend get. And sometimes, people ask me stupid questions, like if we have pickle flavor or pancake flavor. Now, dude, we have the twenty flavors shown in the case right there, none of which are pancake or pancake substitute. We've got chocolate and vanilla and French Vanilla and rocky road and mint chocolate chip and strawberry and cherry and we even have strawberry chocolate swirl. But we have nothing in the general vicinity of pancakes, pancake substitute, or even maple syrup. So if you want that, you're going to have to make it yourself. Stop holding up the line and pick a flavor, man, or I'm going to leap over the counter and choose for you."

Again, I repeat, screw you, Tim. "Well you didn't have to be so persnickity," I say, pulling a word from Mom's Word Of The Day Calendar. "I'll have mint chocolate chip, please."

"There, was that so hard?" Tim asks, and I have half a mind to punch him. "That'll be six fifty, please." I hand him the money, trying to throw my most menacing glare his way, but Mr. Tim-we-have-no-pancake-substitute isn't looking. And for the third time, I repeat, screw you, Tim. I quickly pick up my ice cream and leave the store with Ally, muttering about Tim and his evilness the whole way.

"I thought he was kind of funny," Ally muses. "Tim."

"Tim was not funny!" I cry, brandishing my ice cream. "Tim was born from the roots of the most evil being on this planet."

"Tim was born from his mother and his father," She chides. "And he's just a teenager trying to do his job, stop yelling at him and eat your ice cream."

"No, I'm pissed off at Ti-" Before I can finish my thought, Ally shoves her ice cream into my mouth. "There, chew on that."

"One, one does not chew ice cream. It's more of a...lick and swallow. Oh, that sounds dirty," I laugh. "And second, I have my own ice cream thank you very much. And third, I am seventeen, I am fully capable of feeding myself."

Ally laughs and wipes the ice cream off my chin with her napkin. "You keep telling yourself that, hon."

"Ally, I think Austin can take care of himself," a voice sounds from behind us, and I turn to see Tilly walking towards us with Hadley and Lacey, dressed, like usual, identically. "He is, after all a big boy," She winks, and the Swan twins giggle.

"She was just helping, Tilly," I say, annoyed, but trying to be polite. "How are you?"

"I'm great, how about you?" She says enthusiastically, and Ally stiffens beside me.

"_We _are both great," I say, and Ally snorts. "We were just leaving."

"Don't you guys want to stay? We're hanging out with some of the boys down there," She points to a group by the volleyball nets and a few wave. "Someone even said Adam might come and bring some beers."

Ally shoots me a look and I nod, a silent conversation passing between us. "No thanks, I'm not much of a drinker," I say. "And we have some things to do anyway, but thanks. Guess we'll see you all at school, huh?"

"Are you sure? We're having a lot of fun," She says. "It'd be even more fun if you were there," She finishes flirtily.

"We can go if you want," Ally says to me, and I shake my head. "No, we're alright, but thanks. See you tomorrow Tilly. You too Hadley and Lacey."

"Bye," They chorus, and Ally groans as we walk away.

"Ally," I warn. "They were just being nice."

"They were being more than nice," Ally says, but then starts to laugh. "I don't know what it is about Tilly, but man, she drives me insane. Anyway, you said we had things to do? What kinds of things?"

"Well for starters, this," I say, pressing my lips to hers.

... ... ... ... ...

"So," I say as we walk around town. "We need to get your school stuff from your house." I say it carefully, about to add on that I'll do it for her, but she speaks before I can.

"Will you go with me?" She asks, swinging our hands back and forth.

"Did you think I wouldn't?" I ask, and she laughs.

"Well I thought you might have had a date with some pancakes," She retorts quickly. "I wasn't sure."

"Luckily for you, no pancake dates are scheduled today," I say, attempting to be witty. "Come on, let's go, Officer Swift let me keep the key."

"I'm nervous," She says. "Can we get pancakes afterward?"

"Did you even have to ask?" I cry. "Of course!"

... ... ... Ally ... ... ...

"Alright, I'll hold your hand the whole time, alright?" Austin asks me, and I nod. "Let's do this." He turns the key in the lock and we push our way inside. It's dark, but other than that, it's the same it was three weeks ago.

Austin flicks on the lightswitch and surveys the room. "So, where should we start? Your room, probably?"

"Yeah, that sounds good," I say. "All my school stuff is upstairs. I've got a suitcase or two up there as well, maybe we can pack more clothes?"

"We can do whatever you want," He says, leading the way upstairs. "Wanna split it up somehow?"

"Sure," I say, looking through my room. "Um...my school stuff is all on my desk, I'll do my clothes, sound good?" He nods and I dig through my closet for a bag he can use to put them in. "There ya go."

"All this stuff is for school?" He asks, pointing to the stacks of textbooks, and I nod. "Alls, sometimes I think you love school a little too much." He opens one of my drawers but it's a loose one, and the contents all spill out. "Sorry, sorry, I'll pick it up!" He says, putting all the items- mostly junk- back in the drawer.

"You can throw most of it out," I say. "Unless it looks important, then ask me, kay? I don't really remember what was in there."

"So how much of this stuff do you think will fit? At the house I mean." I empty out the contents of my sock drawer and dump them in my suitcase. "I don't want to like, invade your space."

"We'll make it all fit," He says. "Hey Alls, what is this?" He holds up a letter from the drawer. "It looks really old, you wanna keep it?"

"Oh my god," I whisper. "You found it."

"What is it?" He asks. "Can I?" He makes a motion to read it and I hesitate. "I don't have to, I just-"

"That's from my mom," I say quietly. "That's what she left me, when she, when she..." My voice cracks. "I thought I threw that away. Guess I didn't have the heart to..."

Austin crosses the room and comes to sit with me. "Ally, what's in that?" He asks quietly, and I hand it to him.

He looks to me and I wave him on, and he begins to read it aloud.

"Okay..._Dear Ally," _He starts. "_If you're reading this, I'm already gone. I'm sorry I left you, dear, but I had no choice. I couldn't stay," _He says, looking confused. "_I wasn't happy. I would have taken you with me, but you needed to stay here. Lester-_Oh, she calls him Lester, not your dad- _wasn't happy, and we were falling apart, and I can't imagine the kinds of effects it would have on you if I had stayed. I didn't mean to fall in love with someone else, honestly-" _Austin gulps and I look away, folding some more clothes, finishing up with my millions of skirts and starting with my shirts.

"_But sometimes things just happen. I won't tell you his name, for privacy and so your dad doesn't flip out. But in all honesty here, he was sneaking around with other women long before I met...the other man. He treats me right, Allison, and we're planning to make a good life together. It's a new start for me, love, and I know you'll be happy for me. I hope you won't hate me for this, dear, but I might be pregnant-_Oh for the love of God," Austin mumbles before continuing, and I just quietly fold shirts and putting them in my suitcase. I have a lot of floral ones, I've noticed.

"_I'm thinking of Elizabeth for a girl, that's what I was going to name you, but your father liked Allison better; and then James for a boy, do you like those names? I hope you like them, dear, because after all they'll be your half-brother or sister! Oh sorry dear, I've been rambling, haven't I? Well...He makes me happy, and I make him happy, and the best part is he's happy about the (possible) baby. That's something your father never was, whenever I thought I was pregnant, he was more nervous than excited. That includes you. _Harsh," Austin remarks, gripping the paper even tighter. "She's uh...excited about the baby, isn't she?" He asks, before reading again.

"_But happiness, I'm very happy with him and I hope you can find someone to make you happy. Then we could all be happy. I am, you could be...And your father's...whatever you can call them...well they make him happy too, in a way I never can. We just aren't right for one another anymore; we never really were in the first place. Really our only common bond is...you, dear." _Austin's eyes widen as he reads, and I can tell how shocked he is, but he keeps reading.

"_I love you, dear, and I need you to know that I'm not abandoning you. I'm leaving you where you need to be, at home. I'm leaving you with your father, and he is more than capable-_HA! Likely story!" Austin scoffs, but continues. "_More than capable to take care of you, and you to take care of him. I know he's a little...harsh at times, but just remember he loves you way more than he loves me. I hope you know that I love you too, and I'll see you soon some day. I love you, and remember that your father hates salmon, alright? Be a good girl, and don't get into too much trouble. I promise I'll see you again someday, dear. And I promise that I'll call as soon as I can, and then maybe you can come visit! Love, your mother." _Austin takes in a deep breath. "Wow."

"And that," I sigh. "Is Penny Dawson in a nutshell. Flighty is only one of the words used to describe her." I fold my last pairs of jeans and start on my sweaters.

"Did you ever hear from her?" He asks quietly, and I shake my head, smiling bitterly.

"No I didn't," I say, zipping up my suitcase and walking to my bathroom to pack up my makeup. "Four years ago, and nothin'."

"But she-"

"Promised, yeah I know," I say, throwing it all in my bag. "My mom was never big on promises."

"Do you know if she ever had the baby? Did you try and track her down?" Austin persists, and I just wryly shake my head. "Everything I know is in that letter right there, and no, I never did."

"Why not?" He asks, and I shrug.

"Guess I always thought she'd come find me," I say. "And then she didn't and I guess I just stopped caring."

"Stopped caring about your mom?" Austin asks. "I can't imagine not having my mom around...but I guess it's the same with my dad and I, though, huh?"

"We're messed up, aren't we?" I ask quietly, setting down my clothes. "I don't have a mom or a dad, and you don't have a dad. We're daddy-less." He opens his arms and I crawl into his lap, abandoning my folding on the floor. "We don't have any daddies."

"No we don't," He says, stroking my hair. "But I've got a mom, and she thinks you're like her daughter, so it's like you've got a mom."

"Not the same," I whisper. "Not the same."

"So neither of us have dads, that's not so bad, we've got each other, right?" He says in my ear, and I nod. "And we're going to do just fine."

"I haven't thought about her in such a long time," I say. "Not really, at least. I...I grew up, through my worst years at least, without a mom to help me, and you grew up without a dad! That's not fair, why is everything unfair, Austin?" I ask, crying into his shoulder; I feel like I've cried all the tears I had for the past few years out in the past few weeks.

"Hey, I don't know why everything's unfair," He answers softly. "I know that I love you, though. And that we're going to be just fine. I'd say we turned out just fine, even without a mom and a dad."

"She was so blunt, Austin," I say, finally telling him the full story. "And then I woke up one day, and poof! I was twelve years old, the day after my birthday, my dad was drinking at ten in the morning and my mom was gone, and all I had left was a letter, not even in an envelope, sitting on my desk." I fold up the discarded letter and throw it in the trash. "And that's the end of that."

"Do you want to find her?" Austin asks quietly. "Penny Dawson, I'm sure we could track her down somewhere, if some relatives might know where she is-"

"No," I say firmly. "No. She didn't care enough to contact me, and I'm not going to make an effort to contact her."

"Alls, are you sure-"

"Positive." I state, then get an idea. "Don't you want to go find your dad?"

"No," He says, and we're definitely having the same conversation over and over. "I could care less about him."

"But don't you want to see Annie again?" I press, and he hugs me tighter.

"Yeah, I do, but I don't want to see him," He says, and that's final. "Come on, let's finish packing up your stuff, we've got a whole day left to pack fun into summer."

"Remember I said I wanted to do something exciting before summer ends?" I ask, reminiscing. "We definitely did."

"Never a boring moment with us, is there?" He teases, standing up. "Why are we so crazy?"

"Because we have issues," He replies. "Definite issues."

"Nah, I think we're relatively normal," I rebut. "You know, we're probably in the top percentage for normal people in the grouping for married sixteen-seventeen year old lower-middle class students in Miami." I dust off my jeans and throw all my extra stuff in a bag and keep talking. "Though I'd say we're the _only_ people in that group."

"You never know," He replies. "There might be some other people who were secretly married since...eighth grade! Yup, totally plausible," He laughs, setting the bag of school books down. "But that's okay, we don't have to tell anyone we even fit into that percentage group."

"We can if you want to," I say hesitantly. "I mean, if you really want to. Or we can just, you know, say we're dating and that's that."

"That would give Tilly a heart attack, wouldn't it?" He says, laughing a bit. "Probably the whole school."

"Breaking girls' hearts left and right," I tease. "My husband, the heartthrob."

"Oh shut up, you're the one breaking all the hearts," He rebuts, and I just roll my eyes. "Really, you are!"

"Come on, I don't think I want to bring anything else. Besides, uh, I don't want to take up too much space," I say, rubbing the back of my neck. "You know."

"Hey it's cool, my space is your space," He says, grabbing one of my bags. "Need to buy anything before school tomorrow?"

I think but shake my head. "No, I've got what I need, how about you?"

"I'm set, so...guess it's just you and me, huh?" He winks and I turn red for no apparent reason.

"Guess it is," I squeak. "What do you want to do for dinner? It's only four o clock..."

"We could go out," He suggests, and I shrug. "Or we could go buy some food and then cook it...or we could not eat...or we could become cannibals...or we could travel to London and get some authentic fish and chips...or we could..."

"Or we could stop suggesting things," I say sarcastically. "But cannibalism, hm...I'd say that's our best option."

"Well you're the only one here," He says, scratching his head. "But you're awfully small, I really don't think you'd make a good entree. Dessert, or even an appetizer, but a full meal? Nah, you wouldn't be that filling." He circles me as if he was deciding if I'd make a good entree or not and I just roll my eyes.

"Or I could eat you," I suggest. "You'd be pretty filling. You're taller, there's more to eat."

He cocks an eyebrow and I laugh. "Want to go out to eat?"

"You're room's really clean," He says, ignoring everything I just said. "You little neat freak."

"My room is probably the only part of this place I like," I admit. "The one place I like."

"Got any good memories here?" He asks, sitting on my bed, and I join him. "Your house, are there any?"

"Just the ones where you're here," I admit. "Those tend to be the good ones."

"Want to make another?" He asks, and I stare at him, confused, before it dawns on me.

"Really?" I ask, a bit surprised. "You said you were waiting..."

"Yeah well I was, but it's not legally binding and if the past week was any indication, I'd say you're feeling better," He admits and I smile, a bit nervously but mostly in happiness.

"I am," I say quietly. "But are you sure you want it to be here? In my neat-freak bedroom?"

"If you don't want to," He says, looking away, embarassed, but I pull his head back to face me.

"Never said that," I say. "I want to. Just making sure you do, too."

"Trust me, I _really _do," He laughs. "But-"

"You were being a good person and waiting for me," I finish. "Yeah. I know. But I don't want to wait anymore."

"Well in that case," He smirks, kissing me. "Oh shoot, I don't have...er...well this kills the mood, I don't have a condom..."

"I'm on the pill," I laugh. "So shut up and kiss me why don't you?"

And so he did.

**A/N: God the ending is awful but...I wanted it to end already! Haha so this chapter is split into two parts: 1. Insane stupidness. 2. Secrets revealed! 3. The awkwardness at the end.**

**Anyway, please review, stay safe, and be happy. And put in your review: Think Ms. Dawson ended up having a baby?**

**xx**


	10. Glitter In The Air

**Chapter 10: Glitter In The Air**

**I adore this song with like all my being, and I don't even care if it doesn't really fit that well...it's the chapter title, kay?**

**Disclaimer: No. Just no.**

**... ... ...**

"What did you two get up to today?" Mimi asks us over burritos and I turn bright red, digging back into the flour-wrapped beans, cheese, and chicken with renued exuberance. Yup, this is good.

"We got ice cream," Austin mentions. "Went to the beach, I got annoyed with a little idiot named Tim, and we packed up the rest of Ally's stuff."

"Well that's fun," She says, and I can't help but be relieved. "Glad you two had a good last day of summer. So...tomorrow's school, you two are going to have to get up earlier...and Ally, I went down there today and talked to the principal about the living situation, so now I'm listed on all your forms as your guardian, at least, for now. Because...well I couldn't exactly tell them you two were married, so...I just told them I was watching you for a while. I hate to lie, but it's mostly the truth anyway."

"Right," Austin chimes in. "Dez is going to pick us up tomorrow, we always ride together."

"Sounds good," Mimi says, finishing her last bite. "Uncle Richie's coming back today," She mentions, and Austin and I shoot each other a look. I hadn't noticed he was gone...I'm a terrible person. "He went on a trip with his friends Harris and Ryan," She explains, and we 'oh' in realization.

"Hey, wasn't Harris the Judge who married us?" I ask, and Austin nods. "Cool."

"So, you two," Mimi says clearing her throat. "You used protection right?"

My mouth hangs open and looking at Austin, I realize his face mirrors mine. "Er...what are you talking about?" He asks, trying to play innocent.

"Oh please," Mimi snorts. "Like I couldn't tell. I've had my fair share of sex-"

"GROSS!" Austin shouts. "OH GOD! NO!"

"Austin, that's how I had you," She laughs, and he shudders. "Anyway, trust me, I can tell. Well not so much, you Austin, but on Ally."

I choke on my water and she chuckles. "Uh, what?" I choke out, and Mimi just gets up to clear the plates.

"You keep shifting uncomfortably, dear, like you can't sit without it hurting," She calls over her shoulder, and I wince because it's true, and also that I'm the giveaway. "Been there, done that. I remember my first-"

"MOM, DON'T!" Austin cries, almost falling out of his chair. "Please, for the love of all that is good and holy, do not talk about anything related to your first time in front of me!" He begs, holding his head in his hands, and Mimi and I laugh.

"So, uh," I start, wanting to apologize but not really sure if it's appropriate. "Look, we, uh...I'm, well I mean-"

"Don't worry about it," She cuts in. "I'm surprised you two didn't cave earlier anyway," She finishes, and Austin chokes.

"Oh God," He mutters, and I pat his head. "I think I'm going to be sick."

"There's a bathroom right through there," Mimi says sarcastically and Austin jumps up, taking her advice.

"He's always been a queasy child," She quips. "He's a big boy, he needs to deal with it."

"Well...yeah, you're right," I laugh. "He does."

"So...not that this isn't awkward or whatever, because after all he is my son," Mimi giggles. "But, you know every girl has to dish on their first time to someone, and from what I gather you and Trish aren't exactly that level of friends right now," She says, and I shake my head. "So spill!"

"Mimi, really-" I protest, but she insists. "Uh...it was nice..." I stutter. "Yeah."

"Well I mean, you've gotta say more than that! I remember telling my girlfriend Alexandra everything, she wanted to know everything! If I recall correctly, I told her how "gentle" everything was," She reminisces, and I blush and look away. Mimi catches sight of my burning face and laughs.

"Aha! So he was gentle! That's all I needed to know," Mimi says, sighing in relief. "At least Austin has that going for him."

I look away uncomfortably and she laughs. "Sorry dear, I do get a bit carried away now and again," She admits. "I just...well, it's hard to explain. Even when Mike and Annie were around, there were days where I felt like it was just me and Austin. Annie too, but...he's pretty much the only good thing I've got left, I don't want him to turn out screwed up."

"That makes sense," I add. "He's your only son, I'm sure you want him to turn out as well as possible."

"And he is a good boy, isn't he?" She clucks, mostly to herself rather than me. "Better than most."

"Yeah," I agree. "He's a great guy. Really, really great."

She shoots a look at me, to make sure, and I smile. "I mean it, everyone loves Austin. I think it's impossible to not."

... ... ... ... ...

"You nervous?" Austin asks, squeezing my hand, and I take in a deep breath. "We're going to be fine."

"What if people magically find out?" I ask, even though I know most of my worries are irrational. "What if they can read minds?"

"They can't read minds," Austin laughs, but I shoot him a look and he is immediately silenced. "Hey, we only told Trish and Dez. Dez isn't going to tell anyone, why would he? And Trish, even if she's being...well...Trish wouldn't tell anyone, she's got some sense of secrecy."

"But what if like, our conversation was videotaped and sent to the whole school?" I shriek, and Austin gives me the smallest of shakes, but stops quickly, remembering my dad.

"Ally, calm yourself. We're going to walk into school, and we're going to stay together, and we're going to talk to our friends. We are going to tell them we are dating, and we're not going to mention anything about being married, okay?" I nod and he slings an arm over my shoulder. "Come on, Dez is here."

We wave goodbye to his mom and walk down to Dez's car, where he's honking the horn. "Hey lovebirds," He laughs, throwing my backpack in the trunk. "Who's going to sit in the front?"

"Austin can," I say, sliding into the back. "So, Trish turned down a ride?"

"Yeah, she's riding with Trent again," He groans. "I hate that guy."

"He's a jerk," Austin agrees. "He's not...good for her, is he?"

"No he's not," Dez agrees as he turns out of the parking lot. "She won't listen to me, though. I called her a few days ago, and we had a good talk up until I told her how I felt about him, and then she flipped out and started crying, and she hung up really quickly."

"She's probably blinded by love," I say. "Or lust or infatuation or...whatever."

"Well if she chooses not to listen to me, then that's her problem," Dez mutters, turning into the school. "She can't come crying to me when he breaks up with her."

"You know you'll be there," I chime in, and Dez nods hesitantly. "She's one of your best friends, you know you care about her."

"I do, and that's why I hate him," Dez murmurs, parking in front of the school. "You guys ready?"

"About as ready as I'll ever be," I sigh. "Although I'm sure the school is made up of 99% psychics or mind readers," I say quietly.

"Would you tell her that no one can read minds?" Austin asks, slamming his door shut and helping me out of the car.

"No can do, bud," Dez rebuts, and I laugh.

"See? Dez is on my side!" I cry, but then realize it doesn't work in my favor anyway. "Well."

"Why can't you tell her?" Austin laughs, grabbing my hand as we walk up the stairs. "Not that hard, you say 'Ally, our school does not have psychics."

"But it's not a proven fact," Dez states, shifting his backpack as we walk inside. "For all you know, there are mind-readers."

"See?" I cry, tugging Austin through the hall. "People are going to _know!_"

"No one is going to know," Austin says for the umpteenth time. "Come on babe, let's go get our schedules. Dez? You coming?" He asks, but we've lost him in the throng of people. "Shoot, we'll find him at lunch. Come on, let's go."

He guides me through the halls and to the table with our schedules. I move to the "D" last names, biting my tongue, wanting to say that it's Moon now, but I keep my mouth shut. Austin glances over at me, as if he knows exactly what I'm thinking, and we both smile slightly as we grab our schedules.

"How many classes do we have together?" Austin asks, grabbing my hand again. "Four out of seven, not bad."

"We've got first together, though," I observe. "You wanna head there-"

"Austin!" A voice shrieks from behind us and I groan. "Austin, oh my god, let's compare classes!"

Tilly runs at us, a flying bullet of dyed blonde and fancy purse swinging around her. "Hey!"

"Hey Tilly," Austin smiles half-heartedly and giving her a small hug. "Yeah, let me see your classes, how many do we have?"

"Five!" She shrieks, and I sigh again, just my luck. "Oh my god, that's amazing!"

"Yeah, that's great," He agrees. "Ally and I are heading to first period now, want to come with us?"

"Yeah, I'd love to," She says over-excitedly. "Hey _Allison_, how are you?"

"Great _Matilda, _and you?" I ask snidely, and Austin nudges me. _Be nice, _I can practically hear him say.

We shoot looks at each other behind Austin's back, but he grabs both of our heads and pushes us forward. "Come on girls," He says cheerfully, trying to prevent an argument.

"Hey Ally," Trish says, catching my arm. I turn to look at her and she smiles at me, Trent's arm around her. "Want to compare schedules?"

"Sure," I say, handing mine over, and Trent and Austin glare at each other as we look over our classes.

"Hey, we have two," She says, and Trent sighs.

"The two that I don't have with you," He says, making a sidecomment, and I hear Austin try to stifle a laugh.

"Great," I say, giving her a quick hug before Trent drags her away. "Well that went well," I say, not quite being sarcastic. "You know, if Trent wasn't there."

"Do you two not get along?" Tilly cuts in, and Austin snorts.

"We just don't..." Austin hesitates. "I'm just not a fan of him all that much," He ammends. "And he's not a fan of me."

"Well that's too bad," She simpers. "I can't _imagine _anyone not liking you, Austin." She wraps her arm around his bicep and I roll my eyes. "_I _like you."

_I bet you do, _I say to myself before we enter our first period class, English 11 with Mrs. Banks.

"Seating chart," She calls out cheerily, sitting cross-legged on top of her desk. "Right up front on the table, take a look!"

_"If it was alphabetical by last name, we could have sat together," _Austin whispers to me, and I squeeze his hand.

"It goes by rows," Mrs. Banks calls out again. "Front to back!"

I scan the list and see that I'm at least sitting next to Cassidy, and Austin's only two desks away.

"Hey Ally," Cassidy says happily, slipping into the desk beside mine. Austin kisses me quickly and goes to join Dallas and Elliot and talk about the football tryouts. "How are you? I thought I saw you and Austin on the beach yesterday, but I wasn't sure."

"Yeah, we saw you too," I laugh. "But you looked like you were having fun all on your own, so..." I trail off and cut my eyes to Dallas and Cassidy turns red.

"Er, yeah, we were kind of...making up, I guess you could call it that," She stutters. "We kind of, well he, wanted to make up and get back together, and I wasn't so sure, but I mean he apologized, and he-" She stops for air and I pat her hand. "He called me yesterday morning and said he missed me a lot and wanted to get back together, and I wasn't so sure but I said yes...and it was pretty much perfect," She smiles down at the desk and we both laugh. "Yeah, I missed that guy."

"You two looked happy," I add, and when she looks up I see the biggest smile I've seen her wear in months.

"You did too," She giggles, poking my arm, and I blush. "You and Austin, getting all cuddly while walking up and down the beach, being all romantic."

"We were happy," I admit. "Austin's an amazing guy."

"You guys are adorable," She says. "Austin's awesome, he's a good friend." Cassidy's been friends with Austin since they were eight or so, she's always maintained that we should get together.

"Yeah, he really is," I say happily. "He really is."

The bell rings and everyone settles in their seats, grumbling that summer is officially over.

And now the school year of hiding our one big secret has begun.

**... ... ... Austin ... ... ...**

"I'll see you after class alright?" I ask Ally, kissing her cheek. "I'll meet you right here and we can walk to the next one together."

"Sounds like a plan, cookie man," She says, joking.

"Cross my heart and hope to die," I tease back, and we both laugh, remembering yesterday before she walks into her classroom and I walk into mine. Tilly's waiting right inside the door and she jumps up to meet me right away.

"Where's Ally?" She asks, feigning upset that she's not here. "She's not in this class with us?"

"No Tilly, she's not," I say tiredly, trying to be polite but probably failing miserably. "She has AP Government."

"And we're stuck in Calculus together," She says, a bit too excited for a math class.

"Mhm," I hum, looking for someone else to talk to. "Cecilia, come on over!" I call, and the blonde bounces over, her curls flying.

"Hey guys," She giggles. (Cece is always giggling. Like...always. She's just a person who laughs a lot. At first I was confused, now it just makes me want to laugh along.) "Austin, you and Ally are still together?"

"Yeah we are," I smile, mostly of the fact that she doesn't know _how _together we actually are. "I...like her a lot." I'm not so sure if I should tell people I love her yet...as far as people know, we've only been together for two months or so.

"I think she likes you a lot too," She laughs, nudging me in the stomach. "Judging by the way she looks at you." Tilly harrumphs next to me, and Cece widens her eyes. "Oh hush Tilly, they're happy, don't get all upset now!"

Midway into class I feel bored, and mostly, lonely, without Ally and sneak out my phone.

_**I miss you.**_

**Don't text in class on the first day! :)**

_**But I miss youuuuu.**_

**I miss you too but I'm not breaking school rules on the first day ;)**

_**Allyyyyyy.**_

**Austinnnnnn.**

_**My wife! :)**_

**My husband! :)**

_**You're going to make me pay attention now, aren't you?**_

**Yes I am ;)**

_**Tilly's looking at my phone.**_

**Well tell her to stop!**

_**I'm not going to do that, it's the middle of class! I'm not going to just lean over and tell her to stop looking at my phone!**_

**I would.**

_**I know you would.**_

**We should pay attention now...**

_**Or we could not.**_

**Austin.**

_**Ally.**_

**Put your phone away.**

_**Then you should stop responding!**_

**Fine. I will. Starting now.**

_**You know you can't resist me...;)**_

But true to her word, she doesn't respond and I'm left with twenty more minutes of math I refuse to ever actually use in my life.

"Why did you call Ally your wife?" Cece whispers to me and I freeze up.

"Oh, uh, inside joke. She was wearing a ring one day when we were out, just a ring she bought, and this older lady came up to us and congratulated us on getting married," I fib. "And we just called each other husband and wife ever since. Stupid, I know."

"No, I think it's cute," She laughs quietly. "I wish Elliot would call me his wife, even if it's just a joke." She cuts her eyes over to her boyfriend and sighs wistfully. "Sometimes he's so clueless."

"Moon, Garret, what's going on?" Mr. Ross calls over to us, and I push my phone deeper into my pocket.

"Nothing," I mutter, and Cece echoes me.

"Well just make sure you pay attention," He says skeptically. "And pull out your books."

**... ... ...**

"Cece asked why we called each other husband and wife," I whisper to Ally as we walk out to lunch. "She saw my phone as I put it away."

"What did you tell her?" Ally panicks, clutching my arm. "What?"

"I made up some story about an old lady thinking we were married, she bought it," I say calmly. "Don't freak out now, I'm smart enough to make up an excuse when I need one."

"Good,"She breathes. "I just...well. Sorry, I just kind of freaked out a little bit-"

"Guys, wait up!" Dez's voice calls from behind us. "Hey! Wait!"

"Hey," I reply, slinging my other arm over his shoulder. "We lost you this morning."

"Yeah, I saw Naomi, she had some questions about the new computer program we're using for the school news, we had to work on it."

"What's for lunch?" Ally asks, wrinkling her nose at the smell of mystery meat. "Please no meatloaf."

Dez cranes his neck as he stands on his tiptoes, and wrinkles his nose as well. "Yep, mystery meatloaf again."

"Well phooh," She mutters. "Looks like it's meatloaf made out of secretive contents today, bud."

"Yours is better," I whisper in her ear, and Dez rolls his eyes.

"_Whipped,_" He coughs, and I smack his shoulder.

"Shut up," I laugh. "If you had this girl as a wife you'd like her meatloaf too."

"I don't know, Ally's cooking skills may be questionable," Dez teases, and Ally gives him the death glare she reserves for _Don't-touch-my-book. _

"Oh-kay, backing off now," He mutters, catching sight of Trish. "Hey Trish, want to come eat with us?"

She shoots a look up at Trent, his arm wrapped securely around her waist, and she shakes her head. "Sorry," She mouths, and Dez swears at Trent under his breath.

"And that, ladies and gentleman," He starts, "Is how junior year is going to go." He winces as the lunch lady plops a slice of meatloaf on his lunch tray and all of us sigh.

**... ... ... ...**

"So besides Cece," Ally asks me, curling up to me later that night, after she's finished all her homework. "Anyone else on to us?"

"I think Principal Veeny is on to us," I laugh, pulling my fingers through her hair. "I think he might be the mind reader at school."

"Ooh, think he is?" Ally giggles. "Think he knows I secretly wrote Ally Moon on the inside of all my binders?"

"You did?" I ask, disbelievingly. "Aw, aren't you cute?"

"Don't tease," She admonishes. "I wanted to be able to write it down somehwere!"

"I'm glad you did," I ammend. "I think it's cute of you."

"So now I'm cute? What happened to _most beautiful person in the world who I am in love with?_" She parrots, and I kiss her to shut her up.

"She's sitting right here," I whisper. "And now she better go to sleep because we have to get up early and I get really cranky in the mornings."

"I know you do," She giggles. "If we have time, I'll make you pancakes-"

"Let's fall asleep right now!" I shout. "The sooner we sleep, the sooner the pancakes!"

...

**A/N So this is a filler chapter, I'm sorry, but I have had zero writing time and I didn't want to keep you all waiting for over a week:/ Er...yeah but big things will be happening soon, preferably next chapter...**

**Note: **Ally's not going to be pregnant.

To the anon reviewer who said she might be pregnant: I would NEVER, _ever_ hate you sweetie. Never. If you want to talk, PLEASE don't hesitate to come to me. If you have an account : PM me. If not, maybe you can make one? Or you can go to my ask box on tumblr. favoritsweater dot tumblr dot com. And even if you don't want to talk, I am here for you.

Much love to you (and the maybe baby.)

xx

**As always, please review, stay safe, and be happy!**

**xx**


	11. Conversations In The Dark

**Conversations In The Dark**

Disclaimer: I still don't own Austin and Ally...Santa thought I'd like some other stuff better. :)

**If I haven't replied to your reviews-I am SO sorry! I appreciate them all :)**

oOo

"Austin, Austin, wake up! It's Christmas!" Ally squeals into my ear and I blink my eyes open sleepily. She's bouncing on the edge of the bed, the bun in her hair bobbling along with her. "Wake up!"

"Ally, I'm sleepy," I yawn, reaching out to grab her by the waist, and pull her back to bed with me. "And it's four thirty," I exclaim, checking the clock on the dresser. "Let's sleep a little longer."

"No!" She laughs, trying to wrench out of my grip. "You can't sleep in! It's Christmas!"

"Exactly, which is why I should sleep in," I murmur into her hair. "Come on, calm down and fall back asleep." I burrow my head further under the covers and hold her tighter. "Settle down with me."

"But Austin," She says sadly. "It's Christmas." I open my eyes again, but quickly shut them due to the lights being so bright.

"I'll sing for you if you please let me sleep in, at least until six thirty," I reason. If my eyes weren't shut, I'm sure I'd still see her debating her options.

"Fine," She says, slightly fed up but I can tell she's not actually mad. "But will you at least sing a Christmas song?"

I snort but agree, and she relaxes, no longer struggling to get out of bed; she even lets out a little yawn as I begin to hum quietly.

_I'm dreaming of a white Christmas  
Just like the ones I used to know  
Where the tree tops glisten  
And children listen  
To hear sleigh bells in the snow_

Ally giggles and finally closes her eyes as I sing to her, and I fight off a yawn.

_I'm dreaming of a white Christmas  
With every Christmas card I write  
May your days be merry and bright  
And may all your Christmases be white_

We're not likely to get a white Christmas here; I'd love to have one, though, someday. Maybe when we're older I'll take Ally to the snow for Christmas. If I have enough money, my mom can come too...just where to get the money is the issue.  
_  
I'm dreaming of a white Christmas  
just like the ones I used to know  
Where the tree tops glisten  
And children listen  
To hear sleigh bells in the snow_

I could always get a job...I've been meaning to do that anyway, ever since Sonic Boom has been temporarily closed. (They wouldn't let Ally run it on her own.) I look down at Ally and I can tell she's almost asleep.

_I'm dreaming of a white Christmas  
With every Christmas card I write  
May your days be merry and bright  
And may all your Christmases  
Be white._

Ally lets out a little hum, like she does when she's falling asleep, and I smile a little bit at her. She's really pretty when she's sleeping; she kind of reminds me of Sleeping Beauty or Snow White or someone. (Minus the cursed-poisoned-dead part.)

_And may all your Christmases_

Be White.

I decide that thinking about job-hunting is too stressful for this early, and instead I close my eyes to sleep, too.

The real world can wait a few hours for me to catch up.

oOo

"Ally, Ally wake up," I say, shaking her out of my arms as the smell of blueberry muffins hits me. "Babe, wake up, it's Christmas, remember?"

She shoots up and out of bed, and my mom laughs from the kitchen. "Morning," She calls, and I run across the cold ground to hug her.

"Merry Christmas, Mom," I say, hopping back and forth on the cold tile. "Making some muffins?"

"Yes," She laughs, pushing me off. "Go sit with your wife, I'll be there soon."

We both pause a bit as she says wife; it's still a little weird to hear.

"Merry Christmas!" Ally calls to my mom from the small tree she's sitting by; they'd spent about four hours decorating it together. Bonding time or something, they said. I'm not sure, but it looks good, for a five-foot tree stuck in the corner of an apartment.

"Did Santa come?" I tease Ally, and she sticks her tongue out at me. Uncle Richie and my mom always lay out Santa stuff, even after I figured it out in the third grade.

"Yes he did," She says indignantly, sorting out the piles for everyone. "When is Uncle Richie going to-"

"Ho ho ho!" Comes a booming voice from the doorway, and we both look up to see Uncle Richie standing there, wearing his Santa Claus pajamas and hat. "Merry Christmas kiddos!"

"Merry Christmas!" Ally shouts, jumping up to hug him. For some inexplicable reason, they get along really well, just like he and Dez do.

"What's all this I hear about presents?" He asks, twirling Ally around. "Any for me?"

"Yep!" She cries, leading him over to the tree. Ally gets a little excited about Christmas. "Are you coming, Mimi?"

"Yes I am dear, let me just pull these out of the oven and we can all open our gifts," My mom calls, plating the muffins and walking over to us. "Alright, did you sort them all out?" She nods and we all sit by our gift piles she's organized for us.

On my mom's count of three (she likes to still do things like that) we all begin to open our presents; I silently remind myself not to forget the small box in my dresser drawer. I wrapped it myself, and I'm quite proud.

My mom unwraps the scarf Ally got her and tears up; but she cries at everything, so...no big deal, I guess. Nothing to see here.

I watch Ally open the bracelet from my mom and her face lights up."Oh my gosh, Mom, this is so pretty!" Ally squeals, and we all freeze. Not sure how to react, I don't even dare to blink. However, my mom begins to cry once more and squeezes Ally as tight as humanly possible, murmuring about daughters.

As they cry over the sweetness and sentiment of the situation, I talk to Uncle Richie about the latest game while opening our presents. Ally and I got him a whole box full of walnuts, and he couldn't be happier. "We even got you different sizes," I add on as he sifts through the box. "For when you're hungry or not."

"This is great kids, thanks so much!" He shouts, already cracking a few over both of our heads. I barely flinch. I'm used too it; I'm too used to it.

"That one's from me," Ally mentions quietly as I grab a long (extremely heavy) box. "Hope you like it." She looks nervous and chews on her lip as I carefully unwrap it. I detect the Sonic Boom logo her mom designed years ago and I curiously pull the box top off to find a guitar I'd been lusting over when the store was open.

"Ally!" I cry. "Wha-what? Why? How? Oh my-"

"They let me keep some of the inventory," She replies. "And I know you've been wanting it, so..." She trails off nervously. "If you don't like it, I can take it back..."

"Don't like it? I love it!" I yell, trying on the guitar strap and playing a chord. "This is amazing! I love you, I love you so much!" I carefully set the guitar down and pick her up, twirling her around but minding the tree. "Really, I love you so much," I whisper in her ear, which reminds me that I have my gift to her. "Did you finish unwrapping all your stuff?" I ask, and she nods. "Good."

I walk quickly to the dresser, and I notice my mom and Uncle Richie have cough mysteriously disappeared cough. Gotta love excellent timing.

I hand her the tiny box I wrapped, and tell her quite proudly that I did it all on my own. "I hope you like it," I say, nudging her to untie the bow.

She hesitantly unties the white ribbon and finds a box from Harold's. "Austin," She says warningly, and we both know that she knows what's in the box. "You didn't have to-"

"Just finish opening it," I complain, and open the box for her, showing off the silver and diamond ring, and for once, she's speechless. "Hi," I say dumbly, and she gapes at the ring.

"Hi," She croaks back.

"I love you," I continue, pulling the ring out of the box. "Ally Moon, will you marry me? I know we're doing things way out of order here, but..."

"Yes I will," She laughs, and I'm smart enough to not point out that she's crying. "It's beautiful!"

I take that as a yes to slip the ring on her finger and we both sit in silence for a little bit, until I pull her into my lap and we lean back to stare at the tree. Well, actually, she stares at the ring and I stare at her.

"You didn't have to do this," She whispers, looking up at me. "This was so expensive, and-"

"I love you," I offer as an answer. "We're married. You need a ring, and I saw you staring at it the other day." I shrug, and she doesn't press the topic, just kisses me as thanks.

"You don't have to wear it at school," I add, and her smile falters. "If you don't want to."

She just kisses me instead of answering, and I am perfectly fine with that.

oOo

"Austin, play Jingle Bell Rock," Dez suggests from where he's perched at my dining room table; he joined us for dinner, and no one really minds. I've been jamming out on my guitar all day, and they've all been singing along. "Or something."

"Nah, I'm going to put it away for a bit," I say, setting the black guitar in its case and walking up behind Ally, hugging her waist. "Hi."

"That seems to be your favorite word today," She observes, and I chuckle slowly, turning her around to face me. "I'm glad you like your guitar," She says, pressing a kiss to my cheek.

"Glad you like your ring," I reply, adjusting it so the diamond sparkles under the refrigerator light. "I was worried. Dez helped me pick it out, you know."

She looks over to our redhead friend, deep in Candy Poker with Uncle Richie, and he nods in affirmation. "Austin was hemming and hawing, but he saw that one first and he kept going back to it. I think it's nice, but I don't know much about rings."

"You know enough!" She giggles, looking at the big stone surrounded by two smaller diamonds. "It's so beautiful, I can't take my eyes off of it!"

"Like I said before, you don't have to wear it to school-" I try to tell her, but she puts her finger to my lips.

"I've already made my decision, but we can discuss it later, okay?" She asks, and my heart drops, wondering what her decision is. On the one hand, I'd like to just come clean and not have to tiptoe around the subject, but on the other... people are going to go crazy when they find out. Cough cough Tilly cough cough. Oh well, like she said, we can discuss it later.

So I twirl her around the kitchen to the Christmas Carols my mom has blaring from the radio and abandon all reasoning for a little while longer.

oOo

"Babe, I'm going out," I tell Ally, shaking her awake. "Be back later, alright?"

"Where ya going?" She asks sleepily, but alarmed, and I shush her, pullling the blanket back over her shoulders.

"Just out, I have some errands to do, I promise I'll be back for dinner, okay? I have my phone," I reassure her. "And you were talking about getting together with Cassidy today, so why don't you do that?" She blinks tiredly and nods.

"Kay, be safe," She calls. "Love you."

I turn around and rush back to the bed to give her a kiss. "Love you too, see you later."

I run down the three flights of stairs to Dez, who's waiting in his car.

"Ready to go hunt down some jobs?" He asks cheerfully, and I snort.

"Rather be in bed, but yes, I am," I retort, and he starts the engine, driving us downtown.

oOo

Dez decides he feels like participating in Operation Austin Moon Needs Money, so he fills out a few applications as well, for TechTown and Mini's. I applied for those too, but I didn't have the most...enthusiasm, you could say, and I doubt I'll get them. What would have been ideal is working at Sonic Boom, but that's no longer an option.

"Austin, you have to actually try," Dez admonishes as we walk around the mall. "Or you'll never get hired anywhere. How about the Melody Diner?"

"I quit, I doubt they'll take me back...hey wait, they're hiring musical entertainment! Dez! I'm musical! I'm entertaining!" I shout, and he shrugs, pushing me into the restaurant.

"Mindy!" He calls. "I'd like a chicken pot pie and for you to hire Austin as your musical entertainment!" She comes out of the kitchen, nearly squeezes him to death, and stares at me.

"Blondie? You sure?" She asks skeptically, and I pull my puppy dog eyes. "Well you were one of our better singers," She admits.

"Can you work every day?" She asks, and I nod quickly. "Supply your own instruments?" Yes.

We go through this a while longer, and to be honest I forget all the questions she asks; I'm too nervous and focusing on how badly my hands are sweating.

"Fine, Moon, you're hired," She says after we work out payment, shaking my hand. "You start Saturday, your weekend shift is 7-8. And we can figure out what days you do in the week as you progress. Does that work?"

"Yes," I stammer, not believing my luck.

"Well okay then! Someone get my Dezy-poo chicken pot pie!" She screams, and the whole of the restaurant jumps.

"Dez," I say, turning to him. "I just got myself a job."

"That was easy," He observes. "Good for you. I'm glad something's going right for you, buddy."

"Me too," I sigh in relief. "Just wish life was always like that."

"Wanna grab a sandwich?" He asks, and I agree as we sit at one of the booths and Mindy comes to take our orders.

If only life would fall so easily into my hands as this.

oOo

"Babe? You home?" I call through the apartment, and I find Ally staring at the phone. "Baby?"

"That was Officer Swift," She says. "Apparently my dad was spotted in Nebraska."

"Nebraska?" I ask, taking off my jacket and rushing over to her. "Did they get him, or..."

"No, he gave them the slip somehow," She says quietly, and I can't tell if she's feeling happy or sad about this. "He would."

"Are you okay?" I ask, and she shrugs. "Hey, baby, you know I won't let him hurt you, right?" I rub her back gently, and she nods stiffly.

"I know."

"I love you," I whisper, and she sniffles. "I have some good news!" I add, trying to cheer her up.

"What's that?" She asks. "Is that why you were gone all day?"

"Yeah," I reply, sliding down on the couch, pulling her with me. "I got a job."

Her eyes widen and her mouth forms an "o." "Why'd you get a job?" She asks curiously, and I cock an eyebrow.

"Because I wanted to," I state slowly. "And I think we kind of need the money..."

A brief look of realization crosses her face and she lets out a giggle. "What's so funny?" I ask, tickling her stomach gently.

"I was just thinking," she answers. "That...I don't know. You have a job, we're living together, I have a ring...it's all very...what's the word?"

"Domestic?" I supply, and she nods happily.

"Yeah. I don't know, just feels like we're really married. For real," she says happily, and I laugh, leaning down to kiss her.

"I could get a job too," she suggests, and I shrug.

"If you want to, I'm not going to stop you," I say. "I don't have a problem with that."

"Good," she sighs, more in content than anything else. "Maybe I will."

oOo

I turn in bed; I can't get comfortable and it's freezing. My back hurts and I groan, flipping onto my stomach, but I only succeed in waking Ally.

"Austin? You alright?" She asks, sleep evident in her voice. "You haven't stopped moving since I turned the light out."

"Yeah, just can't get comfortable," I complain, and she leans over to kiss me.

"I'm sorry," she whispers, and she holds out her arms. "C'mere you big goofball."

I scoot over to her side (which really isn't that far away) and rest my head on her shoulder. "What time is it?" She asks, and I check my phone.

"3:10," I answer, and I look up to see a grin on her face.

"What're you smiling about, this early in the morning?" I ask, and she just shakes her head, and tells me to wait.

About four and a half minutes later, she takes in a deep breath and tells me to listen carefully. About a minute passes in dead silence, and I hear the night air passing around outside. It's quiet, and still, and for a minute the draft in the room feels like it's on pause. It's beautiful, really.

She checks my phone again and sees that it's 3:16.

"What did we just do?" I ask, more tired now.

"We stayed awake for 3:15 am," she replies casually, and continues when I must look confused. "It's a magical time and if you sit there for just that one minute with your lights dim, and you breathe in the silence you'll feel it too," she says, blushing and looking away. "It's stupid I know-"

"It's not stupid," I say quickly, and I mean it. "It was quiet and calm and beautiful and I get what you're saying."

Ally shifts in my arms to state out the window, and I play with her hair. "My mom used to do that with me, when I woke up from a nightmare," she says quietly. "And it's funny, but of everything about her, that's the one good thing to stick with me. 3:15 in the morning."

"I think it's magical too," I reply, officially tired and ready to sleep. "Good night Alls."

"Night," she replies softly. "I love you."

"Love you too," I say, drifting off to sleep. "So much."

oOo

"Austin," Ally whispers in my ear. "You awake?"

"I am now," I mumble, burying my head under my pillow. "I'm sleepy, babe."

She pays no attention to that and keeps right on talking.

"Remember on Christmas you said I didn't have to wear my ring to school?" She asks, and that grabs my attention.

"Yeah..." I say unsurely.

"Would you mind if I did? Wear it to school?" She asks nervously, wringing her hands in the sheets.

I don't answer, I just kiss her instead.

We don't get much sleep.

oOo

"Ally, know what one of the perks of being married is?" I ask quietly, after we've gone to bed extremely late on New Years.

"Hm?" She murmurs, already halfway asleep.

"I don't have to worry about who I'm kissing on New Years Eve," I say, and she just laughs before telling me to shut up so she can sleep.

Loving wife I have there.

oOo

"Hey Ally!" Dez says cheerfully as we get in his car. "How was your break-"

"Don't," she mutters. "Because I am extremely bitter that it ended. So just don't, Dez Fisher."

He shoots me a look and I mouth "period" to him, and he scrunches up his face in disgust.

"Right," he says hurriedly, starting up the engine. "Okay. Um. Right."

Ally rolls her eyes as Dez panics; he never was good in these types of situations.

"Just drive," I advise, and he does just that.

oOo

We're midway into lunch before anyone notices Ally's ring. "That's adorable!" Cassidy squeals. "Did Austin get you a promise ring?"

Ally and I both freeze mid-bite. She swallows slowly and I expect her to say that it's just a promise ring.

"Um," she stalls, and I grab her hand under the lunch table. "No..."

"That's a really fancy ring though," Cassidy observes, and most of the room has fallen silent.

"Mhm," Ally hums, and I squeeze her hand, trying not to laugh.

"Well then what...oh," she breathes, ad the Swan twins nudge her.

"What?" Asks Hadley, but Cassidy just points to Ally's hand, and Hadley soon wears an equal face of realization. Dez smirks at me over his burger and across the room, Trish winks at us.

"What's the big deal, it's just a damn ring," Dallas mutters, and Cassidy swats him with her workbook.

"Just a damn ring?" She yells, her voice now the only sound in the cafeteria. "It's a big deal when our two friends are ENGAGED!"

"Actually," Ally corrects, standing up and bringing me with her. "We're married."

And with that, we run out of the cafeteria like our life depends on it.

Maybe it does.

oOo

"I'm so proud of you," I say breathlessly as we lean against the courtyard wall, tired from running around campus. "That took guts."

"All I did was tell the truth," she answers, leaning over and panting. "I didn't take into account we have class after this. And not together."

We both stop laughing at that. I forgot...Tilly's my partner in Calculus.

oOo

I kiss Ally goodbye, and try not to listen to the tittering that goes on around us when I do. After I walk her to her classroom, I stall as long as possible before heading to mine.

Mr. Cross stares at me as I walk in, nearly late.

"Moon, you're almost late," he says, and I shrug and apologize. "Make sure it doesn't happen agai-"

"YOU'RE MARRIED?" Tilly shrieks, and CeCe puts her hands over her ears. "YOU'RE MARRIED."

"I am," I confirm. "To Ally Dawson. Well actually, Ally Moon," I say, pulling a smile, and some of the girls chorus an "aw."

"But you're seventeen," Tilly argues, considerably calmed down, and I nod.

"I know."

"And she's sixteen."

"I know," I repeat, shooting a look to Mr. Cross, who looks just as fascinated as everyone else.

"Why?" CeCe pipes up cutely, and I try to remember what Ally and I agreed to say.

"We had a problem, this fixed it," I say. "But I also love her a lot."

"That's so sweet," CeCe sighs. "Elliot, why aren't you sweet like that?"

"Woah, Cee, we aren't getting married!" He protests. "I mean, I love you, don't get me wrong, but..."

She ignores him and turns back to me, rolling her eyes at her boyfriend. "Congratulations," she says. "I don't get why you two did it, but congratulations. And no one will give them a hard time about it, you hear me?" She yells in her tiny voice, and everyone immediately listens, if for no other reason than you can't argue with CeCe; she always wins. "Good. Lets get to class. Mr. Cross, I believe you need to take roll," she says, and flounces to her seat.

For once, Tilly doesn't want to be my partner. Well. I love you too, Till.

Maybe things will work out easily from now on.

oOo

"How'd it go for you guys?"  
Dez asks as we pull out of the parking lot. "In class?"

"Tilly freaked out and yelled, then CeCe said congratulations and basically said no one can give us a hard time," I recap, and turn to Ally. "You?"

"Er...everyone mostly whispered," she admits. "I need to get used to that."

"I think we'll see how tomorrow goes before deciding how everyone takes this," I decide. "This should be interesting."

"As long as they don't ask about my dad," Ally whispers. "I think I'll be okay."

But for right now, I won't worry about it. Because for right now, I don't have much homework, I have a job, Ally has a ring, and life is going pretty damn well.

With the exception of Tilly poking me with sharp objects every four minutes.

**AN: YUP FINISHED AT EXACTLY 3:15 AM YA LITTLE KIDDOS.**

Sorry. Got excited. Anyway lots of stuff here...mostly I'm gonna say the bit about 3:15 am...it's all true for me :)

Chapter was a little choppy...eh.

Hope you all liked it. Please review stay safe and be happy!

xx


	12. Georgia Girl

**Chapter 12: Goergia Girl**

**Disclaimer: **I don't own this. The characters. I own Uncle Richie...yeah.

**Warnings: **Idk man.

**So yeah.**

oOo Ally oOo

I stayed inside while Austin and Mimi said goodbye to Uncle Richie. I know they said I was part of the family but I still didn't want to intrude. Besides, we'd already said our goodbyes. It mostly involved cracking a walnut on my head, calling me kiddo and telling me to always wear clean underwear.

"And be good to Austin too," He added thoughtfully, chewing on his walnut. "I mean I know you will, but I'd be a sucky uncle if I didn't say these things."

"I'll be good to him," I promised, throwing out my own walnut while his back was turned.

"And uh, for the record, you're not. I mean. You're not like-" His eyes flickered to my stomach and I resisted the urge to roll my eyes.

"Nah Uncle Richie, I'm not pregnant," I assured him, getting tired of all the pregnancy rumors. They floated around school when we first told people; I mean after all, it's the only logical, normal reason. "I took a test two days ago."

"Good, good," He said gruffly, laying out his poker hand. "Two pair."

"Full House," I replied, raking in my share of walnuts. "Sorry."

oOo

"You miss him?" I asked Austin that night as we collapsed into bed, the day of moving (not very many) boxes having tired us out.

"Yeah. Course it's only been a day," He says gruffly, using his 'tired voice' "but yeah. He was in my life for years, it's weird that he's..._gone._"

"Mm," I say, snuggling into his chest. "But it's like that saying. When one chapter closes, another can begin."

"I guess so," He replies with a yawn. "Hope it's a good chapter."

"It will be," I assure him. "It will."

oOo

The doorbell rings and I mark my place in my book, getting up to answer it. Mimi's working and so is Austin, coincidentally. I expect it to be Cassidy or Trish, we have a study date-

"Miss me?"

That is definitely _not _Cassidy. Cassidy is not a middle aged slightly balding man.

Or my father.

I start to scream but his hand slaps over my mouth, effectively cutting off all sound.

_Austin!_

_AUSTIN..._

"You're gonna come with me quietly, understand?" He whispers in my ear. "Or you can make this harder for yourself, but I wouldn't suggest that..."

I nod, thinking that just going along with this plan might get me out, but remember Austin. Austin, who told me to fight for myself. So I do. I kick and scratch and bite at his hand, resulting in a wild chase around the apartment.

"Why you little bitch," He snarls when I bite at his finger, and I almost make it out the door before I feel his hands, snaking out, grabbing-

I wake up in a cold sweat, my shirt twisted up around my ribs and my hair in my eyes, the comforter hot over me.

"Ally?" Austin asks sleepily, sitting up on his elbows. "Y'okay?"

I pant, unable to respond, and he sits up all the way, reaching out to touch me, but I flinch, still not fully awake.

"Ally?" He asks, more concerned now. "Were you...having a bad dream?"

I nod, grabbing my knees and wrapping my arms around them, like I could be my own security blanket. He sighs and reaches out again, but stops himself when I flinch.

"Was it him?" He asks, and I nod, trembling. "Oh _Ally_," He replies, so softly I think the words might break if he said them louder. They hang in the air, somewhere between our pillows and star-covered ceiling.

"Did you put up a fight?" He asks, and I snort, but nod.

"Yeah."

"Good," He says, flashing me a cheesy smile. He reaches out a hand, as if testing the waters. When I don't flinch, he grabs mine, wrapping his large fingers around my own tiny ones. "You know that I won't ever let him come back and hurt you, right? I'd scale a mountain or walk through a desert before I let him hurt you again."

I catch him off guard, wrapping my arms around him and launching into his lap, knocking him over in the process. "Love you," I mumble, and he chuckles, trying- and failing- to sit back up again.

"Love you too. Now get some sleep, I won't let anything come hurt you." We settle back into my bed, now that my heart has stopped pounding.

"Will you-" I start, but he cuts me off before I can finish, already aware of what I'm saying.

"Mhm. Now close your eyes, okay? Because we have school tomorrow. Or...actually, it's three in the morning, we have school in five hours. Get some sleep," He advises, pulling my hair off my shoulders and settling it across my back.

_She moved south as a child_

_She moved it from the Jersey Shore_

_Said she remembers the ocean_

_But she don't recall much more_

He starts to sing softly and I close my eyes; this is one of my favorite songs and he knows that.

_She lived a contagious youth_

_Still she swears she has no past_

_She said she don't take love_

_'Cause that high it never lasts_

I sigh contentedly as his voice lulls me to sleep, most, not all, thoughts of pain and my father behind me. Most. Not all.

oOo

"Hey everybody, so this is my last song for the day. It's called _Georgia Girl _and I hope you all like it," Austin says into the microphone, and begins to strum.

_She moved south as a child_

_She moved it from the Jersey Shore_

His eyes flicker to me and I smile, looking down at my fries and trying not to giggle. It's just one of those things, I suppose, that makes me unable to control my smiles when he throws one my way.

"Someone's got a crush," Cassidy teases, elbowing my side playfully. "On their _husbaaaaaand."_

"Oh hush, would you?"

_Said she remembers the ocean_

_But she don't recall much more_

"He's really good," She comments, almost as if she hadn't expected it, but to my surprise, Trish coughs from a few tables over.

"He's always been good," She chimes in, grinning at me before turning back to a glaring Trent.

_She lived a contagious youth_

_Still she swears she has no past_

"Yeah, he's amazing, isn't he?" I ask, sipping my milkshake. "I love his voice. I could listen to it for days," I admit shamelessly, turning red when Cassidy does a low whistle.

"I wouldn't mind if he sang for me," She says in a deep tone and I gasp, half-shoving her out of the booth.

_She lived a contagious youth _

_Still she swears she has no past _

"Paws off girl, he's mine," I laugh, helping her up. "You can't have him."

"We can trade!" She suggests, flicking Dallas on the arm so he'll pay attention. "Football player for sale. Nice, tall, brunette..."

"Erm...no thanks," I say, scrunching up my nose. I'll pass."

Dallas feigns a hurt look and turns back to his friends, and Cassidy sighs dramatically. "Guess you're stuck with blondie over there," She says, and I smile softly.

"Guess I am," I say, looking over to where he's playing his guitar. "Somehow, I don't think it's a bad thing."

_She said she don't take love _

_'Cause that high it never lasts_

He throws a wink to me and I roll my eyes, secretly pleased.

"He really loves you," Cassidy observes, and I hum, because what am I going to say? "He really does. I like how he looks at you. I want someone to look at me that way one day," She says, throwing Dallas an annoyed look.

I just smile, because I have no words; really, I'm just happy on the inside.

_Welcome to her world _

_Welcome to the world _

_Of my Georgia Girl _

'He's a keeper," Cassidy sighs, grabbing her purse and throwing on her coat. "Look, I've gotta run. Bozo over there has practice and I needed a ride home, so..." I just nod and wave out the door; Austin's almost done anyway.

"Bye!" Dallas and Cassidy call, and I wave as they exit. Trish catches my eye and murmurs something to Trent, then comes to sit with me.

"Hey," She says, brightly, but it doesn't seem genuine. I was a (not-very-good) master of faking happiness for god knows how long, I can detect it well enough.

"Hey Trish," I acknowledge, pushing my milkshake away when there's none left. "How's..." I flick my eyes to Dallas and she sighs, looking more tired and older than I've ever seen her.

"It's...getting better. I told him he had to treat me better and he said he'd try. I mean he let me come talk to you, didn't he?" She smiles, but we both know it's weak and tired.

_She offers up fellowship _

_To those that come from broken homes_

_Yeah she laughs in the crowds _

_While her heart is all alone_

"I just worry about you," I say quietly, steadily avoiding the death stare Trent is sending my way. "I don't want you to get hurt."

"Don't worry about me," She says, a new resolve showing on her face. "If anything ever gets serious, I can take care of myself." Somehow, I doubt this, but now isn't the time to fight with her.

_Welcome to her world _

_Welcome to the world _

_Of my Georgia Girl _

_She moved south as a child_

Austin finishes and waits out the applause before packing up his guitar and walking to the table.

"Good job babe," I say, standing up on my tiptoes to kiss him. "Sounded nice."

"Thanks," He yawns, before turning to Trish. "How ya doing Curly?"

"Alright Blondie," She replies, with only a fraction of her old sass. "I'm alright." It's the underlying _but I'm really not _that we all pick up on, and a silence settles over us like a blanket.

"Welp," Austin says, popping the _p. _"Better get home. Ready Ally?"

"Yeah," I say hesitantly. "Bye Trish." I don't really want to leave her, not when I'm so unsure of Trent, but for once I'll not listen to my gut.

I know I'll regret it, what if-

No. Trish is a big girl, she can take care of herself.

"Just go," She tells me, as if reading my mind. "I'll be alright."

I nod, just wishing she'd break up with him already, and blindly follow Austin out of the diner.

"You okay?" He asks, an arm around my shoulders.

"Mhm," I respond vaguely, my hands stuffed in my jeans pockets. "Just a lot on my mind I guess."

"Like what?"

"Like Trish," I say. "And for another...isn't your sister's birthday soon?"

"No...it's the last week of September," He says, confused, and I shrug. "I don't know...I just thought of her is all, and I didn't know why."

"Right," He says doubtfully. "Look, I'm not going to go visit her, alright? It's just...not how this works. I miss her, but...I won't be making any trips anytime soon, okay? Drop it." And so I do, biting my lip and moving a little further away from me, pretending I don't notice when he drops his arm from my shoulder.

We walk in silence the rest of the way to the car, and once we get in, it isn't any more talkative.

"I'm sorry," He says when we pull into the apartment complex. "For blowing up at you. I'm just a little stressed and the subject of Annie just sets me on edge, okay?"

"I know, it's alright," I say, but he shakes his head, pressing his lips together.

"No it isn't," He says slowly. "I promised you I'd never hurt you, and I did. Even if it's just being loud and yelling at you...that hurts you, and I hate that I did that," He apologizes, so I lean over and kiss him.

"It's alright," I reassure him. "You didn't hurt me. I love you."

He looks defeated and responds with a _love you _of his own, heaving a sigh before getting out of the car.

"I just don't want to turn out like either of our dads," He says softly, kicking at the ground, and my heart breaks.

"You won't!" I cry, flying over to him. "I promise you, you won't! You're nothing like them."

"You sure?" He asks, still scuffing at the ground.

"Positive," I say, looping my fingers in his belt loops and tugging him close, making him look at me. "You're not like that. You're the best kind of man there is. I guarantee you."

"Mmph."

"Hey. A man like our dads wouldn't have done for me what you did, so don't you dare think you'll turn out like them. You, Austin, are a wonderful person. Okay?" I demand, rising on my tiptoes to peck his nose. "Don't you ever dare think otherwise."

A smile slowly spreads across his face and he kisses me, soft and slow. "I love you," He says simply, except now it's less in apology and more because he means it.

"_But I'm holding you closer than most, because you are my heaven, _" I sing quietly, and he rolls his eyes, gently smacking my head.

"Cheesy girl."

"It's true."

And it is.

/ /

**AN: I'm sorry this is so short and that it's basically all filler.**

**Please review stay safe and be happy**

**xx**


	13. Truly Madly Deeply

**Chapter 13: Truly Madly Deeply **

**Disclaimer: I don't own this.**

**/ /**

"I've never been in the principal's office before," I chatter nervously to Austin. "This is bad."

"Ally, this isn't bad," He murmurs back lowly, squeezing my hand. It doesn't do much to quell my worries, though, and I instead shake with renewed fear. "Shh. It's not like we're getting detention for being _married," _he laughs. "Calm down."

"No, but...they could...do stuff..." I stutter, trying to convey exactly what I'm feeling; little success, as I don't really know either. "Austin, this was a bad idea, why did we tell people, why?"

"Do you regret it?" He asks, and it's not exactly _sharp _or even _hurt, _but it's something.

"Which part?" I ask carefully, and he just shakes his head and turns away. Feeling bad, I get up and go to stand in front of him, nudging his chin with my hand. "Hey, look at me," I say quietly, ignoring the _hem hem _of the secretary, Dolores.

"Hey," I say quietly, rubbing my thumb over his cheek. "I don't regret it, not at all."

"Which part?" He asks tersely, and I know he's still hurt.

"I don't regret any of it," I say confidently, dropping my thumb from his cheek but placing it on his shoulder. "I know we're young, and yeah, people say it was stupid. And you know what? It might have been. It might have been the stupidest thing ever-" He looks even more wounded now, so I speed up to the ending. "Or it might have been the greatest."

He raises an eyebrow, and I can tell he's on the way to being less offended. "Because I got you out of it. And I'm so, so, in love with you."

He scrunches up his nose and I kiss it quickly, ignoring another _hem hem. _

"You were the one who got me out of that hellhole I called a house. You were the one who convinced me to get to the hospital. You were the one who held my hand when I was nervous, who stood up to my dad, who took me out and let me _forget _for hours every day. You were the one good part of that chapter of my life, and you're the best part of this chapter." I lean down, so we can be eye to eye, and I see a smile about to creep onto his face.

"So yes, I am a little...uncomfortable with the reactions we've got. I don't exactly like being stared at, and I don't like the questions, and I sure as hell don't like the people who try to tell us what we should have done, because it's not as if they know the story," I rant. "But I wouldn't trade a second of this for anything."

"You mean that?" He asks quietly, and I let out a giggle.

"Yeah babe, I mean it," I say quiely, half wondering if Dolores can hear. "I mean it."

"Good," He breathes. "I'd hate to have a divorce on my hands before I'm even eighteen."

"We wouldn't even have been married a year," I say gently, and he thinks, nodding.

"August eleventh, right?" He asks, and I'm a little surprised he remembered the date, in all honesty.

"Yeah, that's our-"

"We have an anniversary," He interrupts, a goofy smile spreading over his face. "Never really registered that fact."

"Yup, we do," I say, brushing his hair out of his face. "I love you."

"I'm in love with you," He says, almost one-upping me. "You know that?"

"I know that," I laugh softly, ignoring the _hem hem. _"I happen to be in love with you too."

"Good," He says, and our little argument is over, just like that, as he kisses it all away.

"Uh..." A deep voice grumbles, and we pull away, looking over to the doorway where Principal Anderson is standing uncomfortably.

"Austin, Ally?" He asks, scratching the back of his neck, and we both stand up, blushing.

"That's us," Austin says, and we all stand in silence until the _hem hem _reminds Mr. Anderson exactly why we're here.

"Right, right, into my office, kids," He says, pulling the door open and ushering us inside.

"Right, let's just get to the answer," He says tiredly, pushing his wire glasses further up his nose as we settle in the tweed chairs. "You two are married?"

"Yes sir," Austin says clearly, and Mr. Anderson takes a deep breath.

"Can I ask why?" He asks, and I shoot a look to Austin.

"Um," I stall, but Austin squeezes my hand. "It's a long story," I say, and he shrugs.

"Better practice now, so you'll have one to tell the kid," He says, and Austin clears his throat while I sit, confused.

"Kid?" I ask quietly, and Mr. Anderson shoots a look to my stomach. "Oh! Oh no! No, I'm not...I'm not pregnant," I announce clearly. "Not even close."

"Then why did you get married?" He asks, looking more tired than ever, and settling back into his chair. All he needs is a bucket of popcorn.

"B-because..." I sigh, and Austin nudges me on. "Because I needed to get emancipated."

He doesn't say anything, and I take this as my cue to continue.

"My...my dad, he um...he used to hit me," I say, and a small flicker of shock passes over his face before it goes back to blank. "My mom is out of the picture. My dad...hurt me...badly one night, and I went to the Moons for help. They took me to the hospital, where I gave a police report, and went home with them. Officer Swift, he was in charge, he told me I'd have to go to foster care, most likely out of the area...and it was just too much, I didn't, I couldn't..." I take a deep breath and Austin rubs my back. "Austin told me if I got married, I would be an emancipated minor, and could continue on with my school here...and I wouldn't have to leave my best friends..."

"So you married him so you wouldn't have to leave him?" Mr. Anderson asks skeptically, and I pause.

"Not only that..." I stall. "But so I wouldn't have to leave here, it's the only place I've ever known, and I'm so close to college now...I couldn't..." I take in a deep breath and Mr. Anderson smiles, almost in understanding.

"I see. Well...I called your mother, Austin, she explained the legality of the situation. The faculty and I discussed it, and we couldn't find anything in our rules about two students being married, so...I suppose I can't exactly expel you for being together, can I?" He laughs at his own joke, though Austin and I don't. "So...I guess that's it?"

I move to get up, but Austin pulls me back down. "Yes?"

"Um...just to be sure...look, this is as uncomfortable for me as it is for you..." He wipes his forehead with his pocket hankie, and I notice how red he is all of a sudden. "Are you um...you know married couples, they...they...well you know..."

"Sir?" Austin asks gently, already knowing where this conversation is headed. "She's not pregnant."

"I know," He says, not getting any less red. "But um...are you...doing...anything for her to possibly...uh...oh God..."

I avoid looking at Austin, afraid I'll end up laughing, and instead I reassure Mr. Anderson. "We've got that handled, trust me, I don't plan on getting pregnant anytime soon."

"Well no one _plans _for these things to happen," He stutters. "I...I..."

"Look...we'll cross these bridges as we come to them," Austin says, peacemaking, and Mr. Anderson nods, relieved. We all sit in silence, not knowing what to say, before Mr. Anderson nods to his door.

"You can leave now," He says, motioning again to the doorframe, and we bolt out as quickly as is possible.

"Bye!" I squeak as we run out.

Dolores _hem hems _as we rush past her desk, and Austin grabs a peppermint for each of us out of the turtle-shaped bowl on her desk. "Bye Dolores!" He calls, tugging me out of the front office.

"That went well," I pant when he finally lets us stop to rest, leaning against the wall and circling his arms around my waist. "If not completely and totally uncomfortable."

"So...we've got half an hour before school starts," Austin says, smirking. "How do you wanna pass the time?" He smirks again, lowering his head to kiss me, but I turn so he gets my cheek.

"Austin..." I warn, but he holds me tighter.

"Ally..." He mimicks, kissing my forehead. "You always want to!"

"Not when we're at school!" I shriek, looking around for passerby, though it's mostly just teachers and freshmen. "I'm not having sex in school!"

"But you never say no," He whines. "Why now?"

"Because we're in school!" I yell, and a group of freshmen stare at me. "Oh piss off," I mumble.

"Ally..."

"Austin..."

We engage in a stare off, before his eyes leave mine to look at the bathroom behind us.

"It's out of order," He whispers in my ear, and I mentally slap myself for considering it. "You know you want to."

"No I don't," I say, but I laugh as he looks both ways before tugging me across the hall and into the bathroom. "Austin! If we get caught, I swear I'll blame it all on you."

"You know you want all this," He says, flexing his biceps, and I begin to protest, but he kisses the answer straight out of my mouth, locking the door behind us.

Not one of his better ideas, but I'm not complaining.

/ /

"So, uh...Ally?" Ms. Compton asks, calling out my name before class starts. "Uh...on your papers, if you want to write Ally Moon, that's okay with me."

I blush as Trish giggles from across the room and titters break out. "Thanks," I say quietly, slipping in next to Hadley but waving over to Trish.

"For the record, I think you guys are adorable," Hadley whispers to me as we pull out our Government books. "Even if I don't get why you got married."

"We just...did," I say, blush not fading. "But thanks."

"Anytime," She whispers, and I'm glad to have found a friend. But as I look up at Trish, a small part of me can't help but miss her.

/ / Austin / /

"Austin?" A small voice pipes up from behind me, and I turn to see Tilly wringing her hands and staring at the floor.

"Hey Tilly," I say, voice tight and unsure what's going to happen. "What's up?"

"Um," She stutters, looking up at me and face going reed. "I just...wanted to say...that I'm happy it was Ally."

"Uh...what?" I ask, confused, and step closer to the blonde.

"I'm happy that...if you had to marry someone, you married her," She mumbles. "Because she makes you happy and stuff." Her face is tomato red now and I can't help but feel bad. I sling an arm around her shoulders and draw her in for a hug.

"Thanks Till," I say fondly, and she stiffens before relaxing into me. "But you make me happy too."

She looks up at me in alarm and I realize how that could be misunderstood. "Oh...no. I mean, you know when you're being relaxed and stuff, you can be a cool girl," I say, stepping out of the hug just in case. "And I wouldn't mind, you know, being your friend and all."

"Really?" She squeaks, and I almost want to laugh.

"Yeah," I reassure her, hopping onto my desk and leaning back. "But you know, I thought we already were friends," I say slyly, and she lets out a genuine laugh.

"Yeah, we are," She agrees, pulling off her backpack and setting it on her own desk. "So..."

We let the pause hang between us before laughing again, and I can't help but think she's fun when she's not being...insane.

"So...why exactly did you two get married?" She asks curiously, and I sigh, because Ally doesn't want anyone to know about her dad.

"Um...it's a long story," I supply, and her face scrunches up, as if she isn't satisfied with the answer. "Maybe sometime you could ask Ally," I suggest, and I can tell she's considering it.

"Alright," She agrees, and the bell rings before we can continue the conversation.

/ /

"Hey Ally," Travis calls to her as he walks into the cafeteria. "Why's the store closed?" Travis isn't much of a music man, per se, but I'm not surprised he noticed Sonic Boom was closed. It was pretty prominent in the mall.

"Oh," She breathes, formulating an answer. "Um...reasons."

"Is everything okay?" He asks, and I hear her heave a sigh.

"Uh..."

"Hey, does your dad know about you and Austin?" Lacey pipes up, not intending to be rude, but I can tell Ally is annoyed. Dez tries to divert the conversation, but Ally and I have become something of a favorite topic lately.

"He must, they live together," Elliot tells Lacey, and she bites her lip as she considers this development.

"I haven't seen your dad lately," Elliot adds, and I can see Ally practically shrinking in on herself.

"Lay off," I murmur to Elliot, but he either doesn't hear or just ignores me.

"And I biked past your neighborhood yesterday and it looks like your house is for sale," He continues, and I bet Ally is only a minute away from snapping.

_"Shut up," _I say forcefully, and it grabs not only his attention, but the entire table's.

"Oh, stike a nerve, did he?" Travis says, and I can hear the snark in his tone. "What's her deal?" He asks, nodding to Ally.

"_Shut it!" _Dez yells, banging his fist on the table for emphasis. "Shut. Up."

"Okay, okay," Elliot huffs, obviously shocked by Dez's outburst. "Jeez."

"You okay?" Cassidy whispers to Ally, squeezing her arm in sympathy. "Is something wrong?"

"My dad's gone," Ally says back, and the table- once again- goes quiet. "Okay?"

Cassidy's hand flies to her mouth in shock, and Dallas chokes on his sandwich.

"Uh...what?" CeCe asks, always the most forward.

"My dad. Is gone." Ally emphasizes, voice sharp and no longer looking on the verge of tears.

"Oh goodness," CeCe murmurs, and Ally nods.

"Yeah." She says. "My dad is gone, he's a jerk, I married Austin, and I don't care if he comes back!" She says forcefully. "They closed Sonic Boom, and I can't own it until I'm eighteen," She explains, I suppose to answer all their questions. "Anything else?"

"Uh...did you marry Austin _because _your dad left?" Cassidy asks, the girls being more interested than the boys. "Or...did he leave because you guys got married?"

"Why's he a jerk?" Dallas asks at the same time, and Ally sighs, steeling herself to answer the questions.

"Um. Well. He actually left because...oh gosh, um," She laughs a little at herself, with no humor in her voice. "My dad kind of...did some stuff...and the police were kind of after him, and I had nowhere to go but Austin's. And I needed to get emancipated, so I married Austin, and that is that. Is everyone happy?" She asks, practically biting the words out.

There's silence at the table before Dez coughs, choking on his pop rocks. "Wow. Those definitely pop in your mouth, don't they?" He chokes out, downing his water quickly. "Jesus."

"Great. Now, can we stop asking the questions?" Ally asks, and the table blinks back, slowly nodding in response. "Good." She turns back to her hamburger, and that is that.

I can't help but be extremely proud of her, handling something on her own, without needing me to help her out.

It's a nice change.

/ /

"So babe...your birthday is coming up," I mention to Ally as we lay around on a Saturday morning. "What do you want?"

"You don't need to get me anything!" She says quickly, bolting up.

"It's your birthday, I'm obviously getting you something love," I laugh, pulling her back down with me. "_Settle down with me, cover me up, cuddle me in," _I sing to her, and she hums in response.

"You got me a ring for Christmas, which is _way _too expensive and I still don't know _how, _you don't need to get me anything else!" She protests, and I look down at her ring. She's been asking me how on earth I managed to pay for that thing, and I refuse to tell her that I sold my first guitar, along with two pocket knives my dad gave me when I was a kid, to pay for it.

"You're not going to find out, so stop asking," I tease, tapping her nose and saying, "_Boop!"_

"Don't _boop _my nose," She scolds, and I just roll my eyes. "I'm just saying, this is so expensive, I feel bad."

"Don't ever feel bad," I whisper, playing with her hair. "I love you. If I didn't love you so much, I wouldn't have given it to you. Yeah?"

"I...sure," She giggles, playing with the ring. "I love you too."

"I know you do," I yawn, closing my eyes. "But I'm still getting you something for your birthday, no argument."

"Austin."

"Ally, I'm sleepy, shush."

I fall back asleep before I can hear her reply, but I vaguely hear humming as she runs her hands through my hair, and maybe that's why I fall asleep so quickly.

/ /

"Happy birthday, love," I whisper in her ear as she blinks awake sleepily. _"Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear Ally, happy birthday to you."_

"Austin?" She yawns, stretching. "What...oh! It's my birthday!" She says, bounding out of bed. "It's my birthday!"

"Happy birthday babe!" I smile, getting out of bed to hug her. "How's it feel to be seventeen?"

"Um...older? By a year?" She says unsurely. "Not that different, to be honest with you."

"Well you look a little bit older," I say. "In a really pretty, beautiful, way," I add, and she laughs.

"I love you," I singsong. "I love you, I love you, I love you!"

"I love you too," She laughs. "So...what do you want to do?"

"I was going to ask you that," I chuckle, grabbing a sweatshirt and tugging it over my head. "It's your day, we can do anything."

"Well...can we maybe just walk around outisde? Even though it's cold?" She asks hopefully, and I nod, throwing a sweatshirt over to her as she pulls on boots over her pajamas.

"You gonna wear those out in public?" I ask, since Ally always complains about people who do that, and she shrugs.

"I don't wanna go downtown or anything, just walk around the building like we did the first time," She suggests, biting her lip and staring up at me so cutely I can't help but say yes.

"Come on then, let's go," I laugh, grabbing a scarf and gloves and bundling her up. "What?" I ask when she gives me a reproachful look. "You're not allowed to freeze to death under my watch!"

We pad down the stairs and out into the cold, and Ally giggles as I twirl her around.

"You know what I find interesting?" She asks, and I can't help but think she finds every single thing interesting.

"What's that?" I ask softly, tucking her hair under her beanie.

"In French, you don't really say 'I miss you.' You say '_tu me manques,' _which is closer to 'you are missing from me.' I love that. "You are missing from me." You are a part of me, you are essential to my being. You are like a limb, or an organ, or blood. I cannot function without you," She says softly, and I gape at her. "Sorry," She laughs, embarassed. "I just thought that was so beautiful."

"Yeah," I choke out, for some reason she's rendered me speechless once again. "Yeah that's beautiful."

"Just my thoughts," She says, out of her dreamlike state now, and instead hopping over a puddle. "Austin?"

"Hm?"

"I love you," She states surely, and it's so cute I want to laugh.

"I love you too," I say, but she shakes her head.

"No. Like I love you, love you. Like not puppy love we got married maybe we can live happily ever after love, but I love you love you."

A smile stretches out on my face as she looks down at the wet ground, slick from last night's rain, and I reach for her hand. "Hey. I think we can live happily ever after."

She doesn't respond so I continue. "And I love you love you too."

"So now that we've got the heavy emotional stuff out of the way," I joke, and she frowns but I can see her trying not to laugh anyway. "We should go in and get breakfast soon, it's getting cold anyway."

"But it's so pretty out here," She reasons, breathing in the crisp air. "Even if it's cold."

"When I was a kid," I start, clearing my throat. "My dad used to bundle up me and Annie, you know real tight," I say, nodding to how warmly I made her dress. "And he'd take us outside, early in the morning, and he'd say _sit there, kids. _And we'd just stand or sit on a bench and wait for something, he never told us what we were waiting for. And after a while he'd tell us it was time to go back inside, without ever telling us the point of going outside like that, you know? And I never really got it, until one day he wasn't home." I grab Ally and steer her toward the steps, so we can sit down. "And he left a note, and said I had to take Annie to sit outside."

She looks up at me, confused, but I'm not really looking at her; I'm too busy remembering. "So we sat outside, Annie and I, for what must have been an hour. We didn't talk a lot, you know, because we never did with Dad, and I didn't want to break the rules or do it wrong or something. And then Annie, even though she was only six she just _knew. _You know? She held my hand and she said, I'll never forget it. She said, 'It's really quiet out here. It's nice. It's just us, and I feel happy.'" I take a deep breath and squeeze Ally's shoulders. "We weren't supposed to wait for anything, we were supposed to just sit there and be together, you know? That's probably what I miss the most. But sitting out here with you, it's almost the same kind of feeling."

She doesn't reply, it will break the silence we have going on. (Excluding my long explanation/flashback/dramatic retelling/as narrated by.)

She just lays her head on my shoulder, and we sit in the cold together, just together, and for once I want to thank my dad for something.

/ / Ally / /

"How was your birthday?" A voice asks softly behind me, and I'm surprised to see Trish there, standing by my locker.

"Trish!" I exclaim, not used to talking to her anymore. "Hey! Uh...great, it was great!" I say quickly. "Thanks! You...remembered?"

"Best friends for years, I'm never going to forget," She says, reaching into her purse and pulling out a box. "Here, this is for you. Happy birthday Alls." She moves to walk away, but I grab her arm and she flinches.

"Trish! Wait! This...thank you, you didn't have to..." I almost want to tear up but doing that in school is less than ideal. "I...thank you."

She flashes me a quick half grin and walks back over to my locker. "So what did Austin get you?" She asks softly, and I can't help but remember how many conversations we used to have at sleepovers in the dark, soft voices like she has now, hushed tones so we wouldn't be heard.

"I told him not to get anything," I sigh. "But he got me a bracelet anyway." I shake the bracelet softly and she catches my wrist to look at it.

"Pretty! The man has good taste," She giggles, the first genuine happy sound I've heard from her in almost a year.

"I miss you," I say suddenly, then freeze, not wanting to have ruined anything, but I'm caught off guard when Trish wraps me in a hug.

"Miss you too," She says clearly, and I've forgotten how wonderful Trish's hugs really are. Austin's hugs are amazing too, don't get me wrong. But there's something _different _about hugging your best friend; something that is just there, and I haven't had _that best friend hug _in ages, and I miss it.

"Why are you gone?" I ask, and I don't care if we're in the hallway, both of us are a little teary eyed.

"I'm sorry," She says instead, and it's not an answer but I think maybe it's a start.

/ /

"I talked to Trish today," I bring up over dinner. "She gave me a birthday present."

"That's good kiddo!" Uncle Richie exclaims. "Making up with friends is always a good feeling, innit?"

"Yeah," I answer, twirling pasta around my fork absentmindedly. "Yeah it was nice. I've missed her."

"Are you guys going to hang out again?" Austin asks, chewing heavily on a particularly large meatball.

"I don't know," I say truthfully. "She...well she explained some things to me, and I'm just not sure if it would be a good idea for the time being." I'm met with three blank stares, so I sigh and continue. "Look, Trent is...well he's...he's Trent. We know he's a jerk, and has a grudge against you for absolutely stupid reasons, and he just...she just doesn't want him to get mad at her, is all."

"So don't tell him you guys are hanging out," Austin suggests, shrugging his shoulders. "Not a big deal."

"It's complicated, Austin," I sigh. "Look...can we just forget it?" I turn back to my pasta and I feel his eyes on me but ignore them as much as I possibly can.

"Well," Mimi cough gently. "Um. Hm."

"I have an announcement," Uncle Richie states, filling up the silence. "I'm moving out."

"Richard!" Mimi cries, hands flying down to smack the table. "What on earth are you talking about?"

"What I'm _talking _about, Mimi, is that for one thing, I am a grown man. For another, those kids can't sleep on a couch the rest of their lives. I know it gives Austin back troubles," He says, and I see Austin wince, because it's true. "This place isn't big enough for four people, and the only reason I moved here was because you needed some help, being a single mom and all. The kid's almost eighteen, I think it's time for me to leave." He calmly takes a sip of tea from his oversized **Larry Barry Garry **mug that no one understands, and we all blink back.

"You don't have to move out because of us," I say, breaking the silence. "Honestly, I don't care about a couch!"

"It's not just you two," He reassures, setting his mug back down and wiping his mouth. I shoot a glance to Austin, who is actively avoiding looking at his mother, as if she'll blame him for this.

"Richard, you can't-"

"Mimi, I'm the older sibling here, if I recall correctly," He states, cutting her off. "And I'd appreciate it for once if you let me make my own decisions. Now. My friend Jack is moving out to Nebraska, his uncle has a steady business going on out there, the farming industry, and two jobs are definitely in place for us. You'll be fine, Mimi, honestly. I'm a big boy, you're a big girl, we can take care of ourselves." He smiles over at his sister, but she remains tight-lipped.

"Ally, let's go for a walk," Austin says quietly, grabbing our coats from the couch and leading me out the door. "I don't want you to be around if they start shouting. Which, judging by how tight my mother is holding that glass, will be soon, so."

"Why would they start fighting?" I ask, and he just shakes his head.

"My mom's had Uncle Richie around to help her for so long, I don't think she wants him to leave. Also, I think she feels bad that there's not enough space for all of us, but she can't do much about it." He shrugs again as we swing our arms back and forth between us and loop around the little duck pond.

"_Midnight, doesn't last forever, darkness turns to light," _He sings quietly, and I wish I could hear him sing every minute of the day.

"So do you think he'll be moving out?" I ask carefully, and Austin nods surely.

"Yeah. I've never known him to be too...easy to control, I suppose. He'll do what he wants but also what he thinks is the best for everyone involved."

"Oh," I respond, not really sure what else to say. "Hm."

"Look, it'll all work out fine," He says, almost as if he's tired of all the worrying. "Don't worry about it."

"I just don't want to feel like we've messed up your life or-"

"Ally," He says forcefully, and I would be scared if I knew he wasn't going to hurt me. "Don't say that again, okay?"

"Okay," I sigh. "Just. I just don't-"

"Ally," He laughs. "You're making no sense. Shut up." I laugh along, forgetting to be worried or upset, and instead we loop the duck pond for the second time.

"You have to work tomorrow?" I ask, and have to pause because it's all so...like we've been married for years or something.

"Yeah, wanna come watch me play?" He asks cutely, tugging on my hair.

"Depends," I tease. "Are you going to play good music?"

"I was thinking I'd do _Three Blind Mice _followed by a rousing rendition of _Who Let The Dogs Out," _He says seriously, and I just roll my eyes. "But if you come, I'll play songs you like."

"Like what?" I ask, circling his waist with my arms. "How about...The Dora the Explorer theme song? Or the Teletubbies?"

"You're crazy, you know that?" He asks, stilling our walk so we're just standing by the water. "Absolutely crazy."

"You're not so sane yourself, mister," I tease, knocking on his head gently. "Hey! What's going on in there? Anyone home?"

"Stop," He chuckles. "Mm. What do you think about all that?" He asks, nodding up to the apartment. "Like having a room and stuff?"

"I...I guess it would be nice," I admit. "But I don't want to kick Uncle Richie out or say that the couch isn't fine, because-" I rush out, but he just nods in understanding.

"Yeah, I get it." He twirls me around gently once, then pulls me back in. "What would be really nice is to have a place of our own."

"We're not old enough yet," I remind, and he shrugs. "I just turned seventeen a few days ago, we've got at least a year."

"No...because I'll turn 18 before you do, so it's less than a year," He corrects, and I shrug. "Unless we both have to be adults?"

"I don't know," I admit, proving just how much growing up we have left to do. "But yes, that would be nice, wouldn't it?"

"I'd feel bad about leaving my mom though," He says, yawning into my shoulder. "She hasn't ever been on her own, not really."

"Let's just figure these things out as we meet them," I say, yawning as well. "I'm too tired to make life decisions right now.

"Want to head back up?" He asks, sneaking a peak to the window he can see, but I can't. Sometimes the height difference is excruciating.

"Yeah, I'll offer everyone some pie and it'll all blow over," I joke, but not really, because the Moons adore pie.

"Only if it's good pie," He says childishly, and I stick my tongue out as he leads me up the steps of the building. "I just can't emotionally deal with bad pie."

/ /

It was decided Uncle Richie would move out in two weeks, and we spent those two weeks cleaning out his room and moving our stuff in. He was pretty cheerful about the whole thing, looking forward to the farming industry, and I'll admit it would be nice to have the privacy of a bedroom.

"Jack's got a place secured for us," He says brightly, and I can't help but let his enthusiasm wear off on me, too. "All we gotta do now is get in the car and drive."

I help him clean out the last of his belongings two days before he's set to leave, when both Mimi and Austin are at work. "Got a lot of stuff in here, Uncle Richie," I comment, sifting through his signed baseball cards. "Wow, these are really valuable, you could make a lot of money!"

"I'm going to save them a year until they're at the max value date, then give the money to Mimi, tell her to use it for college or a new place or something," He says nonchalantly, throwing old walnut shells out the window.

"That's nice of you," I say, carefully wrapping them up so they don't get lost. "Really generous."

"Yeah well she let me sleep here for almost eight years, might as well pay the kid sister back somehow," He says roughly, and I can tell he's going to miss Mimi and Austin a lot. "Throw me those socks, will ya?" I comply and he stuffs them into his carrying bag.

"This used to be Austin's room you know," Uncle Richie states, and I shake my head in shock.

"Uh..."

"Yeah, he was only ten when I came around, and who in their right mind is going to steal a bedroom from a ten year old?" He asks, more of a rhetorical question. "And then when he got to be...fourteen, he insisted on switching, and wouldn't take no for an answer. And I've been here since." He shrugs and looks around the room, pointing at a few constellations painted on the ceiling. "We painted those together, and I promised I wouldn't cover them up."

I don't really know what to say, mostly because it's all just a lot of information. Austin really is practically perfect in every way, a veritable Mary Poppins. But in all seriousness...he is.

"Wow," I hum gently. "Hmm."

"Good kid, your husband," Uncle Richie says, smiling down at me. "Really good kid."

"Yeah," I breathe. "Really good kid."

/ /

**AN: So. Long chapter, lots happening...yeah.**

**Please review, stay safe and be happy!**

**xx**


	14. Use Somebody

**Use Somebody**

**Disclaimer: No. Just no.**

**It's weird to be writing for this again after like a million months.**

**Blah. I don't even know anymore I just want to wrap this up. Next chapter has Trish, finally.**

/ /

"And how does that make you feel?" Doctor Robbie is looking at me like I should be happy with the questions she's asking me; like I want to be here. Oh no, this is entirely my husband.

"Uh..." I stall, swallowing thickly. "I obviously didn't enjoy years of abuse."

I'm sitting in a shrink's office in the middle of a cold February in Miami. Doctor Robbie supposedly specializes with family trauma, but I really, really don't want to be here. The lumpy red couch is too hard and I can't get comfortable. The pillows are scratchy, and I am 90% sure that I'm allergic to the plant on the windowsill. Austin wanted me to come, he and Mimi both. They said it would be good for me to talk things out to someone besides them, and while they are right, I didn't go willingly.

"Would you say you were in denial about your situation?" She continues, writing notes at the speed of light on her notepad marked **DAWSON-MOON.**

"I guess," I mumble, fidgeting in my seat. "Like...I didn't tell Austin when he asked."

"Yes, I spoke with your husband previously and he says you refused to seek help, and didn't find anything wrong in the situation during the police report. Why could that be?" She's fairly nice, as far as a shrink goes. Her voice certainly is soothing but I'm convinced there are ulterior motives.

"Cuz he was my dad," I offer as explanation, shrugging. "Is my dad."

Doctor Robbie raises her eyebrows and pauses, tapping her pen to her lips. "You seem confused about the tense."

"Yes."

"Why is that?" She looks at me expectantly, like I'm going to know these things, when in reality I know nothing. I quickly spare a glance at the clock and realize I have twenty minutes left before Austin is picking me up.

"Because he's always going to be my dad."

"Do you still consider him your father? I understand he's out of the picture."

She refrains from adding 'and on a wanted list by the state police,' so she goes up a level or two in my book.

I stall for time again, formulating my answer. The poster on the opposite wall is staring back at me. The _HANG IN THERE _kitten is mocking me, I just know it.

I shrug, because I don't really know how to respond to questions about my dad; it's still weird to think of the proverbial "bad guy" being a relation.

"Well, let's put it this way: would you consider him a father figure, someone you can look up to?"

"No," I say truthfully, but regret it, because no one should have to admit that.

"Do you have a type of father figure in your life?" She asks, not looking up as her pen scratches across the yellow legal pad.

"I...I guess Austin's Uncle Richie was kinda a father figure. Sort of," I say uncertainly, fiddling with my hands. "I don't really know."

"Your husband seems to think you'd benefit from talking about these things. You don't seem like you're on the same wavelength, Ally. Why is that?" She's so calm about it, and all I want to do is scream.

"I don't really like letting it all out to people I know, let alone strangers," I explain, shrugging. "Sorry."

"It's good for you," Doctor Robbie says kindly, and I cringe. She sighs and puts the legal pad away. "I think we've done enough for today, don't you?"

"Yes," I say too quickly, ready to jump out of my chair any minute now. "Yes."

"Wait dear," She commands gently, and I sink back into the couch. "Your husband wants you to continue doing this, you know that, correct?" When I nod, she continues.

"I know that seeing a shrink is not on anyone's list of desirable pastimes. Hell, I used to despise counselors when I was growing up. And we will have to talk about some things you might not like, but we can talk about good things, too. Like your marriage, for one. You seem like a girl who doesn't get a chance to just sit around and squeal about her boyfriend very often."

I laugh quietly before I remember that she is the enemy and I'm not supposed to find her funny.

"And we can talk about your friends, too. You mentioned a Dez? And a...Trish? Was that her name? We can talk about them too. We can even talk about college when the time comes. It doesn't all have to be bad stuff in here, alright?" She's smiling at me again, that really warm, kind smile that makes it hard to keep up my attitude towards her.

"Alright," I say quietly, fiddling with the hem of my dress. "I think that sounds okay."

"Great!" She pulls herself out of her blue office chair and walks me to the door, then out of the hallway and back to the waiting room. "You have a ride?" She asks, and I nod when I see Austin.

"Alright. You have a good day, Ally," She says, giving me a tight hug. "You take care of yourself and I'll be seeing you soon."

"Alright," I repeat, and I wave goodbye before I walk over to Austin.

"How'd it go?" He asks, slipping an arm around my dress-clad waist. "Like her any better the second time around?"

"Sort of," I admit. "She's very nice. It's hard to be mad at her. She hasn't done anything."

"You know I'm just trying to help you, right baby?" He asks, and I nod, even though I'm still upset about the whole situation. "I'm proud of you for going you know."

"You are?" I squeak, and god I sound like a twelve year old girl with a crush.

"Yeah. Yeah I am," he affirms, and I grin the entire way to his car.

/ /

We get a call from Uncle Richie a week after he leaves. He's happily settled in Nebraska by now, job secured and apartment better than he expected. None of us mention my father's appearance in the same state a few weeks ago.

"How are you kids holding up?" He booms across the phone, and Austin pulls the receiver away from his ear.

"Great, how are you Uncle Richie?" I reply, my thumb absentmindedly rubbing circles on the back of Austin's hand.

"Wonderful! What have you kids been up to? No babies yet I hope!"

Austin puts his head in his hands and I laugh into the phone. "Nope, no babies," I say cheerfully. "Not happening for a while."

"Alright, I just worry about you kiddo," He says, and I can hear the concern in his voice. "Miss you."

"Miss you too," I reply softly, and nudge Austin until he repeats the words.

"Love you," we chorus before hanging up, and I lean back onto the couch.

"So...what's on the agenda for today?" I ask, humming as Austin puts his head in my lap. I play with his hair and he closes his eyes. Looks like it'll be a lazy day.

"Nothing much," He mumbles. "I'm exhausted."

He worked a late night shift last night; the Melody Diner is twenty-four hours, because apparently the good citizens of Miami crave chicken pot pie at three in the morning. "What time did you get in last night?" I ask in concern, still playing with his hair, running it through my fingers. It's soft, like really soft, and it's relaxing.

"Four," he mumbles, and I wince. His shift had started at ten.

"Take a nap," I advise, rubbing his shoulder a little. "I'll be here when you wake up."

And I am.

/ /

Austin's been careful around me, ever since I started having dreams that my dad was back; even more so since he was spotted in Nebraska. I think he's worried that I'll fly off the handle one day, but really, I'm fine.

Obviously not fine enough to stop going to the counseling he signed me up for, but you know. Perspective and all that.

But I'm not going to lie, I kinda like the newfound gentleness he's adopted. (Dez has as well, but...once again, that's different.)

And you know, if he started paying even more attention to me because of my nightmares, I guess I've gotta chalk them all up to a necessary evil.

/ /

"I want to get a job," I announce over lasagna, and Austin chokes on his water. Mimi awkwardly pats her son on the back and turns to me, smiling.

"Sweetheart," She beams, grasping my hand tightly over the green tablecloth. "That's wonderful! I'm so proud of you!"

"Austin?" I ask in lieu of reply, squeezing his shoulder. "You alright there, love?"

"Yeah," He says quickly, seemingly recovered from his choking fit. "That sounds good. Um, where were you thinking?"

"I dunno," I admit, slightly embarrassed. "I never had to think about it when Sonic Boom was open."

"There's no way you can get it back?" He asks, and I shake my head sadly.

"I'm not eighteen," I remind him, and he smiles sympathetically at me. "And it's technically still my dad's."

"Where else could you work? You're only seventeen." Mimi pauses to think, tapping her chin with her forefinger. "Well...no. Maybe...erm."

"What, Mom?" Austin nearly shouts. "Tell us, woman!"

"Don't call your mother _'woman_,'" I scold. "That's rude. But yes Mimi, what were you thinking?"

"Well I was just thinking that maybe you could do some music lessons part time or something. Or tutoring, you're so smart! And some parents would pay a lot of money for you to tutor their kids," She says thoughtfully, and I take the idea into consideration.

"Sorta like a nanny but not really," I muse, and get up to clear my plate. "How would I advertise that though?"

"Yes, that's a little troubling," Mimi agrees, then snaps her fingers. "I have the perfect fit! Louisa, you know the one in the building? Well she works as a maid for this pretty rich family, and by rich, I mean loaded. They have four kids, and just the other day they were talking about a private tutor. I can get Louisa to get them to hire you!"

Mimi is practically jumping out of her chair now, and I laugh happily. "That sounds great!" I say enthusiastically. "Thank you!"

And that's how I ended up being a part time nanny for the richest family in town.

/ /

Austin whistles, low and long, as we pull up to the Starr Residence. "They really are loaded," He murmurs, squeezing my hand for luck. "Alright, you promise to call me if you need anything at all?"

"Austin," I laugh, squeezing his hand back. "I'm just helping Kira with her math, and then looking after her little siblings Kyle, Lily, and Noah for two hours while Kira leaves. No big deal."

"But you have your phone?" Austin asks sternly, and I roll my eyes, but nod and show him my cell. "Alright. Call if you need anything. Anything at all. Even if you think you don't need anything, really-"

"Austin!" I laugh, cutting him off with a kiss. "I'll be fine. I'll see you in three hours. I love you."

I kiss him once more, quickly, before running my hand over his hair and hopping out of the car, starting my long trek up the expanse of stone driveway. It takes two minutes to walk up the whole of it, and in those 120 seconds I feel very, very intimidated. Even if I did used to be in a relatively upper class family, it was nothing compared to this. And now- though I wouldn't trade the Moons for anything- I feel even further away from this type of world than I ever did.

Nervously, I knock on the door, and an annoyed Kira pokes her head out from behind it.

"Well?" She snaps, crossing her arms. "Come on, I have a date in an hour."

I nod and follow her through the maze of hallways and marble floors that is her house. "Okay, that's the kitchen," she points out in a bored voice. "Kyle's room is up those stairs to the left. The twins' rooms are to the right. Mine is on the opposite wing; you don't need to go anywhere near there. The biggest TV downstairs is through that archway, and the dining room is to your left. Don't go in there unless you need to. You want to eat, there's a breakfast table in a room off the kitchen. Bathroom is down the hall and to your right. Got it?"

No I actually don't got it; in fact I think I might need a map. This isn't a house, it's a freaking castle. But I nod, grin and bear it.

"Great," She sighs, snapping her gum, and she walks off once more, passing through the kitchen. (It looks like it should be in a five star restaurant, not a home for a family of six.) "We're working on triangles."

For the next hour I walk her through the differences between acute and obtuse angles, isosceles and equilateral, angles and side measures. Her bad attitude seems to have worn off, and we manage to laugh a few times. About thirty minutes in, she throws her hands in the air and groans.

"I give up!" She yells. "This is stupid! I'll never have to use this in my life. "

Years of experience with having Kira in my classes have taught me to just be patient and wait out her rant until she turns back to the task at hand. "Sorry," she mumbles, picking her number 2 pencil back up. "I just got frustrated."

"Don't worry about it," I say, and smile encouragingly. "You're doing fine! Geometry can be confusing, but you have a pretty firm grasp on it. I think you just confuse yourself sometimes, maybe you mix up formulas and equations? Here."

Quickly, I grab notecards and make her cheat sheets for the definitions.

"Keep these. Look at them when you need to, then eventually you won't need to anymore!"

A slow smile spreads across her face as she flips through the notecards. "Thanks, Ally!" She cries. "This is so helpful!"

I smile back and turn to the clock. "You better get ready for your date," I say in a teasing voice, and she rolls her eyes. "Are you not excited?"

"Not particularly, no. My dad's making me go out with him. Son of his business partner, makes him look good. The kid is about as interesting as toast!" I laugh as she scoops up her purse and keys and moves to head out the door.

"Oh Ally," she calls over her shoulder. "Um, if there's ever a night you get kept here late, or...for reasons, you're welcome to bring Austin over. Just don't...you know!"

She raises her eyebrows at me and I blush as I promise her we won't have sex in her house.

"Thank you," I say sincerely, and she smiles once more before three pairs of footsteps thunder down the stairs.

"And that'll be the kiddos," Kira says as an introduction, and soon I am met with three children. The oldest, Kyle, looks to be about seven. Lily and Noah are twins, both aged five. After Kira introduces all of us and makes them promise to behave, she leaves for her dreaded date.

"Hi guys," I say brightly. "What do you want to do?"

And that one simple question sends the house into chaos.

I don't really know how I end up with whipped cream in my hair or pillows covering the den floor, but it definitely happens.

So I do what I originally scoffed at. I call Austin.

/ /

He managed to stop Kyle from getting into any more food supplies while I wrestle Lily and Noah away from the glue and paint.

"We need to give them baths," I pant, holding one twin in each arm. "The Starrs will be home in an hour and a half!"

"I'll do Kyle and Noah, you get Lily a bath," He suggests, and I gladly hand over the older twin. It takes a good half hour for us to wrestle them into the water, but once the kids are actually washed, they settle down considerably.

I quickly check the list left for me on the refrigerator and realize that I have to put them on bed; Kira had fed them before I got there.

When we suggest this idea, however, it's an uprising nearly as bad as earlier.

"Kids, kids!" Austin shouts, trying to calm them down. "Hey! Hey, we don't bite people- hey!" His final shout calms them enough to listen, and an idea strikes me.

"You kids like music?" I ask, panting and pushing the hair out of my eyes. Once they nod, Austin seems to catch on to my plan, and grabs one of the guitars in the corner, promising me that he'll put it back. (And bring his own next time.)

(I resent that he thinks I will need a next time.)

We quickly settle them down on the leather couch, all three pajama clad and sleepy yet wide awake; that special mood only kids manage to pull off. Or drunk people, but...it's different.

Austin settles down next to me and strums the opening bars to a song we know well, and then we both begin to sing.

_I've been roaming around_

_Always looking down at all I see_

_Painted faces fill the places I can't reach_

Austin smiles at me as Lily slowly lowers her head onto her twin's shoulder, as if to say '1/3 down.'

_You know that I could use somebody_

_You know that I could use somebody_

It's not long after that before Noah is closing his eyes as well, holding tightly to his younger sister as their eyes shut. Austin winks at me before I launch into the next verse, waiting for Kyle to drop off as well.

_Someone like you_

_And all you know_

_And how you speak_

_Countless lovers undercover of the street_

After his eyes close, we keep singing, purely for the two of us. Two kids, watching three children in the middle of a strange, too big house.

_You know that I could use somebody_

_You know that I could use somebody_

_Someone like you_

If he wasn't playing the guitar I'd be holding his hand right now, but I figure the soft singing comes close enough.

_Off in the night_

_While you live it up I'm off to sleep_

_Waging wars to shape the poet and the beat_

I momentarily wonder what would happen if the Starrs came home right now. They probably wouldn't mind too much, as long as the kids were alright and Austin hasn't messed up the guitar. The thought makes me chuckle, because there's no way in hell Austin would ever purposely ruin a guitar.

_I hope it's gonna make you notice_

_I hope it's gonna make you notice_

When I giggle in the middle of singing, Austin shoots me a questioning look, but I shake it off, immersing myself back into the song I love so much.

_Someone like me_

_Someone like me_

_Someone like me_

_Somebody_

The kids are out for the count, it's just us; perhaps it's been only us all along. And not just tonight.

_Someone like you_

_Somebody_

_Someone like you_

_Somebody_

_Someone like you_

_Somebody_

Austin slows down his playing and turns to look at me fully as he sings the last lines, his stare intense and his voice simultaneously clear and raspy.

_I've been roaming around_

_Always looking down at all I see_

I really could have used someone this year; and he was there.

/ /

**AN: Wow this is weird and kinda terrible and a bitch to write. I complained so much about this, it's absolutely terrible. On another note:**

This is important.

**Before, I wrote this story and half-assed it. And it's still not my favorite. However, I realize that I am dealing with an extremely serious topic here, and I cannot stress this enough: if you or someone you know is being abused, **_you need to get help_**. It can be very scary to talk to someone, **I know**, but it can sometimes mean the difference between **saving and ending a life. **I'm posting national hotlines on my bio page for abuse, and I'll find the ones for Europe and Canada as well. (I believe Canada and the US are the same.) And if there is a country I have not posted the information for, and you're uncomfortable searching for it yourself, just message me: "**My friend in (place you need information) has a question about 3:15 AM**," and I'll send you the information, no questions asked. In addition to abuse hotlines, the ones for **suicide, rape, eating disorders, and most any issue are on my bio.

**And as always, if any of you need to talk or even plain want to talk, my inbox is always, always, always open. **_I care about each and every one of you_**, and I hope you all know that someone out there **loves you**. (Even if sometimes you might feel a little bit alone.)**

_Please review, and STAY SAFE._

**xx**


	15. Blame It On The Alcohol

**Disclaimer: Nope nope nopity nope.**

**AN: Blah. Also newish POV we haven't seen in a while and focusing on a subplot how fancy. **

_**Dez**_

_**/ /**_

"Trish isn't at school today," Is the first thing I blurt out at lunch. "You talked to her lately?"

Austin and Ally shoot each other a look and slowly shake their heads.

"No, I haven't," Ally murmurs, looking around the lunchroom. "Come to think of it, she wasn't in either of our classes today...or all week. Maybe I should call..."

"I will too," Austin comments, pulling out his phone, and I do the same.

**Curly, you alright?**

I stuff my phone back in my pocket and wait on edge all during lunch for a response.

I don't get one.

/ /

I scan the lunch room once more, and just as I suspected, Trent is absent as well.

Suspicious.

Ally says not to worry, Trish probably just has a cold or something.

Trish never gets sick.

Austin keeps looking at me all through lunch and class afterwards, as if he can read my mind. At one point, he writes _"I'm sure she's fine_" on a notecard and slides it toward me, but I can't shake this. It's one of those feelings I get (usually about Trish; and Ally back when things were bad) that something is wrong, and I can't sit back and do nothing.

So the minute the last bell rings I sprint to my car and get my ass to her house.

/ /

I don't expect Trent to be the one answering the door, that's for damn sure.

"What?" He snaps, and if I didn't know any better I would think I smelled cigarette smoke and alcohol on his breath. He moves to close the door, but I stop it with my foot. This is one of the few cases where I'm glad I have an enormous height advantage over ninety percent of our high school.

"Where is she?" I ask, arms folded tightly over my chest.

"Dunno what you're talking about," He slurs, and I snort, moving closer to the entryway.

"See, I think you do," I say clearly, my face only a few inches from his. "So tell me now."

"Is that Dez?" I hear from inside, and the small, scared voice is the only confirmation I need. I push past Trent and run into the house to find my curly girl.

"Trish? Where - oh," I murmur, stopping short. She looks, to put things kindly, like a mess. Her hair is messed up (which she never lets happen) her lipstick is smeared (see above) and her makeup is smudged. Her eyes are red and puffy, as if she's been crying, and a lot. The most alarming thing, however, are the beer bottles on the table next to her. Trish doesn't drink.

"Trish," I whisper, not knowing what else to say. "Are you-"

"You should leave before Trent gets mad," She whispers back; the aforementioned boyfriend has yet to follow me in. "Or else I'll really get it."

"What's he doing to you?" I ask, and as soon as the words are out of my mouth I realize I don't want an answer. "Oh Curly..."

"Hey man, get out," Trent calls from behind me, and I whirl around, and punch him square in the face.

(Never really done that before.)

(It feels really damn good.)

"Dez!" Trish cries, hands flying to her mouth. "Oh my god!"

I grab Trent and drag him outside, throwing him on the ground.

"You're a fucking idiot," He snarls from the grass. "Shouldn't mess with me."

"You shouldn't be messing with innocent girls and getting them drunk at three in the afternoon," I reply evenly. "You shouldn't be telling her who she can or cannot hang out with and what she's allowed to do. You don't get to do that ."

"Looks like I do, if she listens," He replies; I notice he has yet to get up from the ground.

"You stay the fuck away from her, you hear me?" I demand, not shouting but angry enough to not need to yell. "You come near her again and I'll call the cops."

"What the hell are they gonna do, huh? Arrest me for hanging out with my girlfriend?"

"For underage alcohol consumption for one," I shoot back. "And don't tell me you weren't gonna take advantage of her being drunk you idiot."

He glares at me but looks scared enough to run off her property, and I heave a sigh of both relief and dread as I head back up the driveway.

When I go back inside, Trish hasn't moved from her spot on the couch, and she altogether looks better and miserable.

"We need to talk," I say sternly, sitting down beside her. "What the hell?"

"What the hell to you!" She yells, glaring at me and then pouting like a child. "That was my boyfriend you dick!"

She grabs the nearest pillow and starts hitting me with as much force as she can; since she's so short it barely affects me, and I just stand there.

"_You! Effing! Jerk_!" She screams, emphasizing each word with a hit to my chest. _"I! Hate! You_!"

I notice with alarm as she starts to cry, her hits becoming less forceful, and I grab her tightly, folding her into a hug.

"Shh," I murmur into her tangled hair. "I know, I'm here. Shh. It's going to be alright. Shh."

"_I hate you_," She mumbles into my chest.

"_I love you_," I reply, and that's what really breaks her.

/ /

After about an hour she's calmed down considerably, enough for me to coax her into talking. She's still sniffling, and she's an absolute mess, and I still think she's wonderful. I don't care what mistakes she's made with the jackass she called her boyfriend.

"Think you can talk about it now?" I ask quietly, curling a strand of her hair around my index finger.

"No," She mumbles quietly, shaking her head, and I get a mouthful of that crazy hair.

"I think so," I rebut gently. "I think you need to."

"I don't want to," She whispers, her voice cracking.

"Just you and me here," I whisper back, my chin on top of her head. "Just us, okay?"

"Okay," She says after a beat, and it's so quiet that I barely hear her.

"Yeah?" I ask, surprised she agreed at all, let alone so quickly.

"Yeah," She mumbles, hiding her face in my shirt. "Yeah."

/ /

"Why were you with him?" I ask, not even knowing where to start. "He's not...I mean...the guy's a dick, to put it lightly."

"I needed him!" She replies in protest, still not looking at me. "He...he was there for me!"

"No Trish, you _didn't _need him, you _don't _need him, and he was _not _there for you in the kind of way a boyfriend should have been." I shake my head and try to make eye contact with her, but her eyes stay trained on the floor.

"I..." She stutters, shaking, and I know that we're headed for another meltdown.

"Hey, hey," I say quickly, trying to prevent more tears. "You know uh, you know why Ally married Austin, yeah?"

She finally looks up at me, and she just looks so _tired. _

"Yeah," She says quickly. "Her dad was hitting her. Why-"

"Right, that's called abuse. But like...abuse isn't always physical, right? It can be just verbal, or emotional. Like...like telling someone who they can hang out with. Telling someone what they can do, where they can go, when they can talk to someone. Being controlling, and that's what he was doing."

"Because he said he knew best-"

"Does he, though? Do you honestly think any of that was good for you?" I ask, raising an eyebrow. "Because I don't."

She sniffles and looks back down at the floor; I sigh and continue.

"Trish, you're a wonderful girl, you know that?" I put my finger under her chin and tilt it up until she's looking me in the eyes. "You were- _are-_one of my best friends. Just because some asshole made you stop talking to me doesn't mean I stopped caring about you. I'm worried about you, and I'm done ignoring this."

"He told me I need him," She admits after a minute or two, and _oh there it is._

"You don't," I rebut firmly, softly. "You don't."

**/ / Austin / /**

I absentmindedly strum away, and wrinkle my nose. "Does that sound funny to you?"

Ally looks up from the table where she's studying and shakes her head. "Try playing it all together, instead of all choppy."

"But do _you _like it?" I press, and she sighs.

"Austin, I love everything you play, and you know that," She smiles, shaking her head, and turns back to her studying. "I'm a little busy right now, though."

"You know you love me," I throw out, and she just laughs, ignoring me. "Ally!"

_"What?"_ She shrieks, but giggles anyway.

"_Pay attention to me!" _I cry, practically whining like a little kid. "_I'm bored!"_

"Go back to playing your song," She says calmly in reply. "I know you've been trying for weeks to play it. Get back to practicing."

I roll my eyes but start over from the beginning. "Will you listen at least?" I ask quietly, and she hums in repsonse.

_Do you hear me,_

_I'm talking to you_

_Across the water across the deep blue ocean_

_Under the open sky, oh my, baby I'm trying_

Ally looks up and rolls her eyes, but she starts to sing along anyway.

_Boy I hear you in my dreams_

_I feel your whisper across the sea_

_I keep you with me in my heart_

_You make it easier when life gets hard_

She laughs and launches into the chorus with me, and I get up and walk over to the table where she's sitting.

_I'm lucky I'm in love with my best friend_

_Lucky to have been where I have been_

_Lucky to be coming home again_

_Ooohh ooooh oooh oooh ooh ooh ooh ooh_

I cut it short and lean over her chair. "Love you."

"Love you too," She says, leaning back to kiss me. "You're kind of alright."

"You're sort of okay, too," I reply, tickling her ribcage. "Don't let it get to your head."

**/ / Dez / /**

"You don't need him," I tell her, and she looks up at me from over the cup of coffee I made her. There's a probability she's going to have some kind of hangover thanks to Trent feeding her alcohol on an empty stomach; I'm prepared.

"Feels like it," She mumbles before taking a sip.

"You're too good for him," I tell her truthfully. "You're the most bad-ass girl I know. You don't need shit like that holding you down." I almost grab her hand, but she looks fragile enough; which sucks, because she has _never _in her life been fragile.

"You think so?" She asks, and it's like being mindblown to find out that she doesn't think highly of herself anymore.

"I know so," I tell her, and this time I do grab her hand. "You're the best girl in the world."

"But I'm not," She whispers.

"But you kind of are," I tell her. "I think you just forget that sometimes."

"Why were you with him, though?" I ask quietly; that's the one thing I really want to know.

"He paid attention to me," She says, straightforward and honest. "Was there when I needed him."

"Maybe at the beginning," I muse. "But not lately. I think lately he manipulated you to make you _think _you needed him."

"Maybe," She says, shrugging. "I don't know."

"Where are your parents anyway?" I ask, looking around. Mr. and Mrs. de la Rosa don't seem like the type to overlook any of this; then again, I thought differently about Mr. Dawson.

"Went to visit my abuela in Vermont. She's sick, left me here to go to school," She replies, and this time she does look down.

"Oh yeah, you were really cracking down on the books this week," I mutter. "Look, have you had breakfast? Or lunch? Or anything to eat at all?"

She shakes her head, and I sigh, but grab her hand and head to the kitchen anyway. "I'll make you a sandwich, what do you want?"

She shrugs and I grab the peanut butter and jelly.

"I'm pretty sure he won't be coming back around you," I say after a few minutes of silence. "And if he does, I'll call the cops on him."

"What would they get him for though?" She asks nervously. "He didn't really do much."

"Underage drinking I guess," I admit. "I don't really know, but still."

"You're crazy," She says, but she smiles anyway. "Dez?"

"Mhm?"

"Thank you," She looks down now and I can tell it's hard for her to say. I know that this is far from over; there's no way she'll go back to being the (as she used to put it) flawless bitch she was, at least not overnight. But I'll be damned if she doesn't get there. And I'll be damned if she does it alone.

"You're welcome, Crazytop," I say, ruffling her hair to accentuate the nickname. She smiles at me again, and yeah, she's going to be alright.

_"I hate you," _She says lightly, and I know she means the opposite.

"_I love you_," I respond, and this time, instead of breaking her, the words start to put her back together.

/ /

**AN: Welpppp, yeah that's that. Yay for Trish coming back. Boo for Trent. Yay for the Amazing Dezmo being a superhero. Yay for Trish being a flawless bitch.**

**Kids, don't drink.**

**xx**


	16. We Can Work It Out

**Disclaimer: No.**

**For my sanity, I did a large time skip here. Last we saw them it was around February, it's now around the end of May/early June. Because I just needed to do that, or else I think I would go insane.**

/ /

I'm almost used to going to bed alone at least twice a week; Austin works the late shift (10 PM to 3:30 AM) two days every week. It's not necessarily pleasant, but he always insists that he doesn't mind too much. (Though he usually says that once he's been paid, but still.)

But even if I'm used to it, I don't like going to bed without him, and many of the nights he works a late shift I stay up and wait for him. Austin usually scolds me, but I know he secretly likes that I'm awake when he gets back.

Tonight (or, early this morning) is one of those nights (or days). Luckily, it's a Saturday, so we don't have school to worry about. Mindy tried to not assign him the night shift during the week, but every Melody Diner employee has to do it every once in a while. (Those days, I just make Austin a really big pot of the grocery store's strongest coffee. He gets a little hyper towards the end of the day (sleep deprivation) and then tends to crash around 5.)

He gets in at 3:45, dragging his feet and collapsing on the bed, pulling me down with him. "Hi," he mumbles, and I close my eyes.

"Hey."

"Sleep," he replies, and I laugh softly, not bothering to reply.

/ /

Austin rolls out of bed at noon that day, and greets both his mother and I with a kiss on the cheek. "I'm fuckin' tired," he mutters, dropping into his seat at the table.

"Language," Mimi scolds, lightly swatting his head. "I raised you better than that."

"Sorry mom," He replies, and has the decency to look ashamed. "I'm just getting really tired of working the late shift. And it's not enough money, I need to get another job."

"You don't need to get another job!" I cry, and this time, I'm the one to swat him. "Look at how tired you are right now! You don't need to add another job onto that, and we're still in school!"

"I meant once summer starts," he replies, resting his forehead on the table. "I need to."

"Why do you need another job so badly?" I ask softly, sitting down next to him. Austin looks up at his mother, and she leaves, getting his hint.

"I need to get us an apartment," He replies, turning his head to look at me. My immediate reaction is "aw-oh-my-gosh-how-cute-wow-I-have-the-best-husban d," but then logic plays in.

"We're going to need to go to college," I remind him. "Unless we go to college here, buying an apartment here right now wouldn't be smart."

"We don't really have the funds to go anywhere else," He explains apologetically. "And even if one of us possibly got a scholarships funding for another school, there's next to no chance the other would get it, too."

"Oh," I breathe out, resting my forehead on my forearm. "Hm."

"Yeah," he replies softly. "Hm."

"Well," I say after a minute. "I know one thing."

"What's that, babe?"

"We're screwed."

/ /

"Dez and Trish are coming to school tomorrow," Austin mentions, looking down at his phone. We're both in our room, finishing our homework before the weekend is over, and I'm glad to hear his announcement.

"That's great! Why were they both gone so long?" I ask, neatly putting my binders in my backpack.

"I dunno, I asked what had happened, and he just said 'tell u at school, long story, pls be nice to Trish.' What does that even mean?" He looks up at me, and we both shrug before looking back down.

"Maybe she didn't break up with Trent like everyone thinks," I suggest, zipping up my backpack and flopping down on the bed. "Or maybe she's just in an off mood, I don't know."

"I guess," he says skeptically, then throws his phone to the side and proceeds to distract me for the rest of the night.

/ /

For the first time, Trish is in the car Monday morning for carpool, a fact that shocks the hell out of Austin and I.

"Trish," I say quickly, waving. "Hey!"

"Hi," She says quietly, looking down at her hands. Austin shoots me a look, and we both throw our eyes to Dez, who just shakes his head.

"Uh," Austin begins, clearing his throat. "So who studied for the Econ test?"

/ /

I don't catch Trish alone - well and truly alone - until lunch, and even then, Dez is within five feet of her at all times.

"Hey," I whisper, squeezing her hand. "You look good."

"No I don't," She snorts, shaking her head and causing her curls to fly everywhere. "I look like shit."

"No," I say truthfully. "You look...different. Better. Happier, like a big weight is off of your shoulders."

"Oh," she says, glancing over to Dez, who throws her a smile. "Gues you could say that."

And after that, there's really no more questions needed.

/ /

"Trent's been avoiding all of us," I mention on Friday to Trish, painting her nails after school. "Thank god."

"Yeah," she echoes softly. "Thank god."

I shoot her a quizzical look - she doesn't sound as excited as she should - and she shrugs sheepishly. "It's just kinda hard to get used to not having him around. He was a large, overbearing presence in my life and now he's not there."

"But you got something better!" I exclaim, finishing her last nail. "You've got Dez!"

"Yeah," She agrees, and we both begin to giggle. "That's true, I have my Red."

/ /

"The grocery store is hiring cart pushers," Austin brings up over dinner, and I'm sending a recurring theme. "You know, the guys who round up all the shopping carts."

"Austin," Mimi sighs, resting her head in her hands. "Honey, you're seventeen."

"So?" He scoffs, setting his fork down on the table and crossing his arms.

"You're just a kid, you don't need all of that-"

"I stopped being a kid a long time ago, Mom," Austin says gently. "I stopped being a kid when I gave Uncle Richie my room, when I realized Dad wasn't coming back-"

"Austin-"

"When I realized that I was basically the head of the family, and that I had to take care of my mom and an uncle who thought he _played for the Red Sox_-"

"Austin."

"And when I got married, Mom. I stopped being a kid, I'm not a kid. I have a wife, Mom, I have a family, and that includes you, and I need to take care of _both _of you."

"Austin," Mimi pleads again, but he shakes his head and she's silent.

"Mom, I know you're trying your best, and I appreciate how much you've done for me when I was growing up, but we both need to face the fact that you need some help around here."

I feel like I'm intruding on a private moment, but Austin grabs my hand, tethering me to the table and conversation.

"You're just so _young_," Mimi say tearfully, and Austin sighs, using his free hand to grab his mother's.

"Mom, I'm technically an adult. Emancipated minor, and in a few months I'll be eighteen, a legal adult. And that means I have to take care of you and Ally, and I'm going to find a way to do that, okay?"

Mimi sighs again and wipes her eyes, squeezing Austin's hand. "You're a good boy, you know that? You're a son that makes a mother proud. I'm just sorry I can't give you more."

But we don't have it all that badly, I think to myself. Our furniture is mismatched ad for the first months of our marriage, my husband and I slept on a couch. But I have Austin and Mimi, and they have me, and honestly, that's just enough.

/ /

**AN: Ew I hate this...oh well. **


	17. Skinny Love

**skinny love.**

**Disclaimer: Guys, really.**

**How are you all today? :)**

**Leggo. Part of this chapter was in the old version of 3:15, I don't know how that chapter got changed, so I put it in here! **

Also, thank you to **everyone **for your reviews. Still updating via mobile- and I will be for about a week- so it's really hard to reply on my phone. :/ xx

I won't have wifi for a week, so this is the last chapter for a while. :(

**/ /**

"Austin?" I ask, lacing our fingers together. We're walking down the downtown sidewalk during the weekend, with nothing planned until I have to work tomorrow.

"Mhm?"

"I have a question."

"Hit me."

"Do you still have the letter my dad left?" I ask, taking a deep breath, and he pauses in the middle of the sidewalk to gape at me.

"Are you sure you want to look at that?" He asks, subconsciously (or maybe he knows what he's doing) tightening his grip on my hand.

"I just want to see what it said," I answer, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear and looking down at the sidewalk, still slick from last night's rain.

"Maybe I should read it first," He suggests, but I shake my head. "Ally, I just don't want to see you hurt, sweetheart."

"That's why I want you to read it with me," I explain, and Austin heaves a big sigh, tilting his head up to look at the still-gray sky.

"Fine," He whispers, pulling me in close to his side. "But I'm not happy about this."

"I know," I murmur into his collarbone. "But thanks. For doing it."

"Hey, we haven't read the letter yet, I could still change my mind," He teases, tracing his thumb in a pattern on the back of my neck. "But you're welcome."

/ /

Austin lays the letter on the table face-down and stares at me from his side of the dining room. "Alright, are you sure about this?" He asks, and in response, I grab the paper and move to sit with him.

_Ally, _it says. _Melanie and I left, don't look for us, you won't be able to find us. Don't really care what you do, you'll probably end up being knocked up by that Moon kid anyway. Just don't come find me. Bye. _Well he always had a way with words.

I stare at the paper for a minute before getting up and throwing it in the trash. Officer Swift has the original copy anyway, if they need it.

"Ally?" Austin asks quietly, getting up to follow me. "Um..."

"I'm baking a cake," I announce instead, getting out the flour and sugar. "Chocolate sound good to you?"

Austin looks like chocolate is the last thing he wants but he hesitantly nods anyway.

"Good," I say, finding the eggs in the fridge and vanilla in the pantry. "It can be for dessert."

"Ally," He whispers, but I ignore him and get out the mixing bowls and whisk instead.

"Who cares about Melanie?" I mutter as I crack the eggs. "She was kind of a slut anyway."

Austin slowly sits on the counter and watches as I furiously crack the eggs before measuring out the flour carefully.

"Actually, she _was _a slut. I think she was a stripper or something, but I never asked because it's not like I cared about her."

I methodically pour in the cups of flour and start on the sugar as I talk, more to myself than to Austin.

"It's not like she was the first girl he stayed with for more than a month, and I always ended up comparing her to my mom. It's not like I _missed _my mom even though she abandoned me."

I hear Austin take in a deep breath but he stays silent.

"It's not like I was afraid to go home everyday because _he _was there, so really, I should be happy he's gone."

I decide against chocolate and decide to just make a yellow cake instead, so I pour an extra splash of vanilla in.

"It's not like I miss having a dad, someone I could look up to and know they'd protect me and keep me safe because they loved me."

I hear Austin about to say something, but I trudge on. I've never really talked about it anyway.

"It's not like I hated hearing people talk about their parents because they're all so _wonderful and loving. _Hell, even Dez's parents were amazing compared to mine. It's not like I miss being able to crawl into my parent's room on Sundays and be able to snuggle and later have waffles and spend all day watching cartoons."

I whisk furiously before getting the electric mixer out to do it for me.

"It's not like I laid awake at night for a year, silently begging my mother to come back," I mutter, setting the speed on high and watching the batter whip around the bowl. "It's not like all my dad's new girlfriends or escorts or dates or whatever you want to call them...it's not like they were all strippers or prostitutes or something of the sort."

Austin's eyebrows raise as he watches me whip around the kitchen, distracting myself. He opens his mouth once more but I just plow on with my speech, finally able to get it out.

"It's not like I was afraid," I whisper. "I was afraid, for years. Afraid of my mom, for abandoning me, afraid of my dad, that he'd hit me, afraid to wake up in the morning because my reality was worse than the nightmares." I sniffle as I stop the mixer and test the batter, licking it off the spoon and handing the excess to Austin, knowing he won't ask but secretly wants it anyway.

I pour the yellow batter into the cake pan before realizing I haven't turned the oven on. Groaning, I quickly spread plastic wrap over the pan before running over to heat the oven.

"It's not like I'm _still _scared," I say so quietly, the sound barely makes any recognition in the previously-noisy kitchen. "That he'll come back. Or worse, that she'll come back. I'm finally happy, it would be just my luck for them to ruin it."

I quickly stick the cake pan in the refrigerator before I hear Austin murmur, his voice catching in his throat.

"Ally," Austin whispers, sidestepping the counter to wrap his lanky arms around my small frame.

"It's not like I tried to make him happy!" I yell, slapping my hands against Austin's chest. He doesn't respond, except to hold me tighter. "I tried so hard, and all I got was hurt!"

"He hurt me!" I yell, slapping his chest with each word to prove my point. "And I was too scared to do a thing about it!"

I'm sure I've hurt him by now, but he stays silent as I scream, occasionally pushing my hair back from my forehead.

"And I just know, somehow, someway, the universe doesn't want me to be happy!" I yell. "I just know that as soon as I'm happy, something will come along and mess it up! I don't deserve to be happy!"

It's at these words that Austin snaps out of his silence and grabs my chin, gentle enough to not scare me.

"You, Allison Marie Moon," He whispers. "Deserve all the happiness in the world. Don't ever say that again. You're going to be fine- you're going to be happy." He presses a kiss to the top of my head and leaves it there, resting his own head. "You deserve to be happy, baby. You're going places. All the people in the past who hurt you, they mean nothing. You can look ahead, you can do better, you can move on, but you have to promise to not look back for it to work."

I look up at him, surprised when tears cloud my vision. I wasn't crying when I was yelling, at least, not that I'm aware of, so where did those pop up from?

"Can we move on?" He asks delicately, and I sniffle before the oven dings to say it's heated. Reluctantly, I disentangle myself from Austin and tread to the refrigerator to pull out my cake and stick it in the oven. Austin stands in the middle of the kitchen, waiting for my answer. Slowly, I slink back to him and wrap my arms around his waist, resting my chin on his chest as I blink up into his eyes.

"Will you help me?" I ask, quietly so as not to break the peaceful atmosphere that settled around the kitchen after my outburst.

"Every step of the way," He promises, and it's the silent _I love you _that I hear loudest.

"I might have some issues," I state, and he shrugs it off.

"We all have issues." _I love you._

"I'm sorry I yelled at you. And hit you," I apologize, biting my lip. _I love you too._

"I think you needed it," He responds, and I breathe a sigh of relief, because really, I did. "But Ally...come on, to get anywhere, we need to look forward. Can you do that?"

"You promise to look forward with me?" I ask, even though I _know _the answer, I want to be sure.

"I promise, But occasionally I'll look sideways at you too," He jokes, and I melt into his hug again. "Shh. We're going to be-"

"Just fine," I finish. He's said it so much to me, I swear it's the motto for our relationship. "We are going to be just fine."

/ /

"Babe?" I yawn as Austin pulls the covers over us. "Can we talk for a bit?"

"You've had a long day," He whispers, pulling my hair out of my face. "You need to get some sleep."

"I don't really want to, not yet," I complain, though I _am _tired. "Will you...tell me a story? Or sing me a song?" I bury my head in his shoulder so he can't see my burning face.

"Course," He answers, and I don't hear any teasing in his voice. "Haven't told anyone a story since...jeez, since...Annie was six and had trouble falling asleep at night."

"What did you used to tell her?" I ask, interested to know more about his sister. My sister-in-law, I realize. "Story-wise I mean?"

"She always liked Rapunzel, the princess stories mostly. Sometimes I made them up. I was an imaginative child."

"You're still an imaginative child," I retort, snuggling in deeper. It's suddenly cold, though it is December, so I suppose that makes sense.

"You want a princess story too?" He says through his yawns, and I shrug. "Those are my specialty, though I'm not bad at superheroes as well."

"Can you be the superhero?" I ask quietly, feeling so young, but safe and loved.

"You want to be the princess?" He laughs, but I nod earnestly so he coughs to cover up his chuckles.

"Right, this is the story of a princess," He starts, and I settle in to listen. "Once upon a time, there was a princess. She used to be very happy, but then the queen of her palace mysteriously dissapeared and the king was replaced by a very bad monster." I shudder, understanding his exact meaning.

"There was a farmboy-" I kick him, and he pauses.

"Don't make him a farmboy, make him a superhero," I whisper, and he shushes me. "At least at the end of the story."

"There was a _farmboy_ who lived a few kingdoms away. He was very good friends with the princess, but he could never invite her over. She was a princess, and he wasn't anywhere close to a prince. Still, they got along very well. One day, the princess was hurt very badly by the monster who was running her kingdom. He worked her to the bone until she almost dropped, and then hurt her very very badly."

Austin checks to make sure I'm still awake, so I nudge his toes for him to continue.

"She ran away from the castle, and no one followed her. She showed up at the castle of a duke's son, someone she and the farmboy were friends with. He, the duke's son, he was very worried and her brought her to the farmboy's little house, and they got the princess all fixed up. The monster, they wanted to slay him, but he ran away before they could. The farmboy, he promised to take care of the princess, forever and ever."

I sigh into his chest, mostly out of the content feeling building up in my stomach.

"The princess...she told the farmboy she loved him, and he said he loved her. They got married, but the princess was worried that she wouldn't have a happily ever after. But they will, they'll have a happily ever after."

"Because the farmboy was really a superhero," I whisper. "Who saved the princess."

"Right," He mutters, and I can almost _hear _the blush radiating off of his cheeks. "But they're going to live happily after. The princess needs to know, though, that the farmboy- er, superhero, he will _always _protect her, no matter what. He'd cross an ocean, walk through a desert, to save her. She needs to know that. Does she know that?" He asks, smoothing out my hair once more.

"She knows," I murmur sleepily. "But the superhero needs to know that he is _so _much more than a farmboy," I whisper, before drifitng off. "So much more."

/ /

"Ally? Ally! Ally, I want a sandwich!" Kyle tugs on the bottom of my shirt and I sigh, crouching down to his level.

"What kind of sandwich, hon?" I ask, sighing and pushing my hair out of my face. "We already had dinner."

"I'm still hungry," He whines, plopping down on the ground and pouting up at me.

"Alright, alright, let's go get a peanut butter and jelly sandwich-"

"Honey? Is the babysitter still here?"

I turn at the sound of a deep voice, and freeze when Mr. Starr walks into the kitchen, setting his briefcase on the counter. "Allison?"

"Yes, Mr. Starr?" I ask, standing back up and letting go of Kyle's hand.

"I thought the kids were supposed to be in bed," He observes, nodding at Kyle and crossing his arms. "What are they still doing up?"

"Their bedtime is eight forty-five," I say slowly, pointing to the instructions taped to the fridge. "That's what I was told..."

"Well, it's eight twenty-five, shouldn't they at least be in their rooms?" He asks, eyebrows raised, and I take the hint.

"Yes sir, I'll just go-" I quickly grab Kyle's hand and move to head out the door of the kitchen.

"Allison?"

"Yes sir?"

"Keep the noise down, and keep them out of my hair."

I nod nervously and walk to the living room, where Austin is quietly playing with Lily and Noah; this time, he brought his guitar along.

_It's a quarter after one, I'm all alone and I need you now._

_Said I wouldn't call but I've lost all control and I need you now._

_And I don't know how I can do without._

_I just need you now._

"Come on, kids, time for bed," I say quietly, picking Kyle up once he begins to drag his feet. "Your dad's home."

"Daddy's here?" Lily shrieks, jumping up off the floor and over to me.

"Yeah, and he wants you in bed, sweetie, so time to go," I smile, mostly out of pity, and all of us head upstairs.

"Can we just go say hello to Daddy?" Lily asks sadly, and Austin shoots me a look.

"Um," I whisper, hugging her close. "your dad is really busy sweetpea, let's just go to bed, alright?"

"Alright," She says sadly, and Austin pats her on the head before taking Kyle and Noah to put on their pajamas. I grab two of her pajamas from her dresser, painted to look like a princess castle.

"Do you want your princess or your ladybug pajamas?" I ask, holding up both options to the little girl. Lily, however, just sits on the floor and pouts. (A rather large floor for such a small little girl.)

"Where's mommy?" She asks quietly, cuddling her stuffed elephant- Mr. FluffsALot.

"Um, I think your mommy is out at a party, and your daddy just came home from work. Kira is out on a date," I explain, and hold up both pajamas again. "Alright sweetie, princess or ladybug?"

"Princess," She mumbles, setting Mr. FluffsALot down to put the pajamas on. "Ally?"

"Yes?"

"Will you tell me a bedtime story?" She asks, standing up and grabbing my hand. "I have to brush my teeth first, though, right?"

"Right," I nod, and she drags me to the bathroom, where I stand and wait for her to finish brushing.

"Done!" She exclaims, hopping down from her princess-themed stepstool. "Let's go find Kyle and Noah, okay?"

"Alright," I laugh, scooping her up and setting her on my waist. "Let's go find your brothers."

"No!" She calls, and at first I think she's protesting, but then I realize she's calling out for Noah. "Kyle, Ally's going to tell us a story!"

Noah's head pops out from his room, and Kyle's appears next to him. "Yay!"

"Where are we going to tell this story?" Austin asks, ruffling Noah's hair. "I thought you guys wanted me to keep singing?"

"After the story!" Lily cries, jumping out of my arms and grabbing onto Austin's knee. "After the story, you sing us a song!"

"Alright, alright," He laughs, prying Lily off of his leg. "Let's all sit in Noah's room, we're all here anyway, okay?"

Once all three are settled on Noah's racecar bed, I turn to Austin. "You want to tell a story, babe?"

"Uh, sure," He replies, rubbing the back of his neck. "What kind of story?"

"Princess!" Lily cries, shooting out of her seat, and I laugh before setting her back down.

"No," Kyle boos, shaking his head. "Action."

"No! Princess!" Lily demands, and Austin makes a "_quiet" _motion with his hands.

"Alright, alright, how about both?" He asks, kneeling on the floor next to the bed. "Okay. Once upon a time-"

"_No!" _Kyle cries, but Austin shushes him.

"Hang on, hang on. Alright, once upon a time, there was a beautiful girl- a princess. She used to be very happy, but then the queen of her palace mysteriously dissapeared and the king was replaced by a very bad monster." I almost laugh at his retelling, but keep my face straight.

"There was a farmboy who lived a few kingdoms away. He was very good friends with the princess, but he could never admit his love for her. She was a princess, and he wasn't anywhere close to a prince. Still, they got along very well. One day, the princess was hurt very badly by the monster who was running her kingdom. He worked her to the bone until she almost dropped, and then hurt her very very badly."

"Is she okay?" Lily gasps, and Austin laughs before continuing.

"She ran away from the castle, and ended up at the farmboy's house. The farmboy, he promised to take care of the princess, forever and ever."

"Is this a kissing story?" Noah asks, wrinkling his nose.

Lily sighs happily, cuddling Mr. FluffsALot.

"No," Austin laughs, continuing. "The princess told the farmboy she loved him, and he loved her too. And he promised to protect her forever and ever and to slay the monster if he ever came back for her."

"Because the farmboy was really a superhero," I add, just like I did yesterday. "Who saved the princess."

"Right," He mutters, and _again_ I can hear the blush radiating off of his cheeks. "But they're going to live happily after. The princess needs to know, though, that the farmboy slash superhero will _always _protect her, no matter what."

"That's so sweet!" Lily cries, and Austin pats her on the head. "Alright, time for bed."

"No, you promised us a song!" Kyle pipes up, crossing his arms.

I sigh, and Austin grabs his guitar. "Alright, what kind of song?"

"Just _a _song," Lily says, and Austin begins to strum "Skinny Love."

_Come on skinny love, just last the year._

/ /

**AN: Blah. **

**Stay safe!**

**xx**


	18. Quarter After One

**Quarter After One**

**18**

**Disclaimer: no.**

**AN: Alright guys, listen. I **_**really **_**appreciate that you all love this story and it means a lot to me alright? But being extremely rude and demanding new chapters is not going to make me update and faster; in fact, it makes me want to stall on writing at all. I know I said I would be gone for a week but some personal events happened afterwards and I haven't been able to sit down for an hour and write. I do have a life outside of this website, and at this rate I'm quite tempted to just wrap up the story altogether. However, that isn't fair to everyone and I don't want to punish all the wonderful people out there (cough that includes you Emily and Karina cough) because of a few rude ones. But to be very honest I am getting quite annoyed with this story...I'm going to try and finish it before school starts, though, because I'm going to probably not write at all during the school year.**

**Rant over.**

Oh and also- I know a lot of you want this but it isn't happening at all- _**Ally WILL NOT BE PREGNANT.**_

/ /

Winter passed into spring, and spring is ever so slowly passing into summer. It's nice, with the exception of final exams.

(I secretly think final exams are a secret plot to take over the world, but Ally doesn't agree with me.)

(Just wait until she's crying because of these stupid exams. Then she'll believe me.)

"Hey Austin," Ally is calling to me now, and I walk out of our room and I to the kitchen to talk to her.

"Yeah, love?" I ask, folding my arms and leaning against the doorway.

"I'm going to go out with Trish, is that alright? I haven't really been able to for such a long time because of...Trent, and I have work all day tomorrow so-"

"Yeah," I laugh, interrupting her. "Have fun."

"Thanks!" She says brightly, reaching up to give me a kiss on the cheek. "We're just going to go to the park, and maybe a movie afterwards."

"Sounds good," I hum, rummaging in the fridge for a snack, and coming up empty. "Hey, I'll go to the grocery store today, we don't have food."

"Alright," she smiles, grabbing her purse and kissing me again. "I love you."

"Love you more," I say truthfully, and she's out the door before I can say more. Shaking my head, I grab my phone and text her.

**Be careful. xx**

A second later, I hear the lock click and her head pops in. "I'm always careful," She says cheerfully. "Love you."

"Love you too, have fun," I laugh, and grab my phone again to dial Dez. "Hey," I say when he picks up. "Want to go grocery shopping?"

/ /

"You know, this isn't how I would describe my ideal Saturday," Dez observes, grabbing a bunch of bananas and handing them to me. "Just saying."

"Yeah, well, someone has to do it," I reply, throwing six apples into a plastic bag. "And besides, you get to hang with me."

"Shut up," he mutters, but grabs a box of strawberries anyway. "So. How's the missus?"

"She's good," I reply, steering the cart to the frozen foods aisle. "She works a lot though."

"For the Starrs, right?" Dez asks me, and I nod, preoccupied by frozen vegetables. "Does she like it?"

"I think it's okay," I respond, grabbing broccoli and green beans, "but I know that she's always exhausted at the end of the night. But it pays well, and I know she likes being able to put some money of her own into the bank."

Dez just hums, and it strikes me that I sound like a fully-fledged adult trapped in an almost-eighteen year old's body. "How's Trish?" I ask, just to distract from the strange feeling.

"She's doing better," He chimes in happily, and it's not hard to see how much he lights up at her name. "Her parents came home two days ago. She didn't want to tell them anything, but I got her to agree. I sat down and told them most of it, and she's in a little trouble for all-around bad decision making but I think she's emotionally scarred enough for punishment."

"So did he just get her drunk all day?" I ask, confused. "You never really said what he did."

"Well yeah, he got her drunk a lot. And he messed with her head, told her what she could and couldn't do. She won't tell me everything, but I'm pretty sure he did more than that."

"Like what?" I ask, hopping onto the cart's lower rung and riding down the aisle.

"Like, I'm pretty sure he made her take a few drugs? And I know she really doesn't like any of that...I don't know, she won't tell me. But...she's better now, and that's what matters, right?"

"Right," I reply easily, but I'm still worried. "Dude, he deserves to be like...in hell or something. What a dick."

"I'd beat him up more, but I'm not exactly menacing," Dez mutters, wincing. "You however..."

"Oh no," I say quickly, throwing my hands in the air. "Dez, you're like my brother okay? And I love Trish too, but I really don't think it would be a good idea for me to get involved. At all."

"I'm just saying," He persists, throwing me a bag of frozen raviolis, "that you're both evenly matched, but you could beat the shit out of the guy."

"Ally would kill me. My mom would kill me. And I can't afford to take any time off from school or work because I got beat up by a dickhead."

"It was just a thought," Dez replies easily, shrugging it off. "Speaking of...are you still looking for another job?"

"Yeah," I sigh, "Being an adult sucks."

"You'll be alright," He replies, nudging my shoulder. "You always are."

"Can I tell you something?" I ask quietly, not looking up at him. "A secret?"

"Yeah, what's wrong?" He asks nervously, and I bite my lip.

"I haven't told Ally yet," I preface, shivering at a nonexistent breeze. "But...well I've done the math, and...we can probably barely squeak by and pay for her college tuition if she takes out a few loans. But we won't be able to pay for both of us, even with the loans." I don't look up, but I hear Dez walk over, and sure enough his arm is around my shoulders.

"Hey," he whispers, squeezing me once, "Austin. You're going to be alright. I promise. If...if I have to pay your tuition myself, I swear to god I will. Don't give up on anything."

"You don't need to do that " I laugh humorlessly, "but I do appreciate it. Thanks."

"I mean it," He says. "You're going to be alright."

/ /

"Hey,"I murmur to Ally, who's currently curled against my side. "How are you?"

"Mm, great, how are you?" She asks, eyes closed as I play with her hair. "That feels nice."

"I'm alright," I say softly. "You're here, aren't you?"

"Right here," She replies softly. "Hey, I've been thinking."

"Always a dangerous sign," I laugh, but she just ignores me.

"Like about what I want to do when I'm older?" She continues as if I never spoke. "I think I figured it out."

"Oh?" I ask, curious. "And what do you want to do?" I ask excitedly, genuinely interested.

Her mouth opens to answer, but the phone rings, and she snaps it shut. "Hold that thought, beautiful," I say, getting up to answer it.

"Hello?" I call into the speaker, only to hear sniffling on the other end. "Hello?"

_"Is...is this Austin Moon?" _A younger girl's voice asks, and I nod slowly, before realizing they can't see me through the phone.

"Um," I say slowly. "Yeah; this is Austin. Who is this?"

_"Oh Austin, thank God," _She sniffles again, and I'm seriously confused. _"I need help. It's me, Annie_."

/ /

**Cliffhanger yay :)**

**Stay safe**

**xx**


	19. Strong Inside But You Don't Know It

**Strong Inside But You Don't Know It**

**19**

**Disclaimer: No!**

**AN: I'm so tired ugh.**

/ /

"Annie?" I croak out, and I hear Ally gasp from behind me. "Annie, is that you?"

_"Yeah,"_ She mumbles, and I can barely hear her. _"Yeah it's me, big brother, I didn't have anyone to call, I'm sorry, I-"_

"Annie, slow down, I can't hear you, sweetheart," I say gently, although inside I'm freaking out. "What's wrong, why are you calling?"

_"I need you to, uh, pick me up?" _She's saying now over the static, and my eyes widen.

"Pick you up? Annie, where are you, where's Dad- Mike- where is he? What's going on?" I ask frantically, and Ally appears at my side nervously.

_"I'm in Tallahassee," _She mumbles, and I gasp in shock. _"I took a bus ride. And hitchhiked."_

"Annie!" I yell, and Ally winces. "Do you understand how dangerous that is? Why on earth would you do something so stupid, I-"

_"Please don't yell," _She sniffles, and I sigh. _"But please come get me, big brother."_

"Yeah," I say after a minute. "Where are you,kid?"

/ /

"Mom, hey," I say into the phone when her voicemail picks up. "Uh, I had to make a trip to help, uh, a friend. I'll be back by tomorrow. Dez knows where I'm going and Ally's with me. Dez is going to watch the house while we're out. I love you, see you soon. Be good!" I add jokingly on the end, to reassure her things are fine, and hop in the car. "Ready?" I ask, and Ally nods nervously, sliding in next to me.

We drive in silence for a good forty-five minutes, ad my knuckles turn white on the steering wheel.

"I'm sure she's fine," Ally offers an hour into the trip.

"You don't know that," I snap, but later Ally will assure me that she didn't take it personally. Distracted, I turn on the radio, only to have _"Call Me Maybe" _blare through the car. Annoyed, I shut it off again and huff.

"Oh my god," I say after a minute, "I'm going to have to explain who you are and why you live with us. My baby sister is going to have to learn that I'm married, I-"

"One thing at a time, baby," Ally says softly, grabbing my hand. "Just focus on getting to Denny's, alright? Your sister's going to be there, and then you can figure it out."

"Yeah, alright," I agree, and we drive the rest of the way quietly.

/ /

"Hi," I say nervously to the hostess at Denny's, "is there a girl here, around fifteen, blonde, probably been here for a while?"

The hostess, Martha, gives me a strange look and I realize how I'm coming across to the elderly lady. "She's my sister," I explain hurriedly, "she called me and asked her to pick her up here and I don't know what to do and I-"

"Austin?" A quiet voice calls from the countertop, and I turn to see a short girl walking over to me. Except...this girl isn't Annie. My sister is blonde, bubbly, beautiful. This girl is beautiful, too, but she looks sad, too thin. And her hair is a bright shade of red rather than the blonde we shared as children. "Is that you?"

"Anne?" I ask quietly, too nervous to move. Martha eyes us closely, the caution of a grandmother marking her features, and I don't blame her. "Annie Banannie is that you?"

"Big brother," She squeaks, and suddenly a flash of red is running toward me at full speed, arms wrapping around my waist and her head tucked into my chest. "Austin."

"Yeah," I murmur, feeling my shirt wet with her tears. (And her hair is wet with mine.) "I'm here, baby sister, I'm here. I'm not going anywhere."

/ /

It's a good ten minutes before we break away, at the gentle request of Martha to move out of the way of customers.

(She does, however, give us a congratulatory smile and pat Annie on the back gently.)

"Annie, baby, what happened?" I ask gently, wiping her eyes and sitting next to her on the bench outside. (After I paid for her coffee and breakfast because Moons do not dine and dash thank you very much.)

"I ran away from home," She sniffles, and I bite back a laugh.

"Yeah, I can see that. Why?" I ask gently, hugging her close. Across the parking lot, I see Ally in the car, eyeing us closely but giving us our space. She's good about those kinds of things.

"I just couldn't take it anymore," She mutters, hugging her backpack and duffle bag close to her body. "I couldn't."

"What was happening?" I ask nervously, smoothing over the hair on top of her head. "Hm?"

"I didn't like...the way dad was looking at me," She admits, cringing.

"What do you mean?" I ask, upset, frowning.

"It was just...uncomfortable. My stepmom, Jessica, she had been treating me unfairly since day one, but...oh I don't know. Things just...got bad."

"Annie," I say sternly, tucking my finger under her chin. "Tell me."

"Uh," She coughed, "Dad and his, uh, poker buddies, they, uh, weren't nice to me." She looks down at the floor and I frown again, concerned.

"Annie? What do you mean they weren't nice to you?" I ask quietly, and she simply looks up at me. The hurt in her eyes answers any question I could have, but she tells me anyway.

"You know, uh, when people harass girls and it's, uh, not innocent?" She chokes out, and I feel as if my gut has been punched.

"Oh god," I mutter, feeling like I need to be sick. "Oh Annie, oh my god."

"It's alright," She says unconvincingly, curling into me again. "Austin, really, I'm okay, I'm with you."

"Yeah," I whisper. "I'm here."

"I've missed you," She whispers back, squeezing my hand, and I say the same to her. "Um...can we maybe go home?"

"Yeah, of course," I say, grabbing her duffle and throwing it over my shoulder. "Mom's going to go ballistic. In a good way."

"I can't wait to see her," She says nervously, clutching my hand as we trek to the car.

"Wait," I say quickly, stopping in the parking lot. "My...best friend, and girlfriend Ally, they're the same person, she's in the car."

Annie looks affronted and I rush to continue.

"I needed someone to come with me for safety," I assure her, "I promise it's alright. If you want you don't have to talk to her at all, okay? But she's really nice and I trust her with my life so I brought her along just in case."

"Okay," Annie says slowly and hesitantly, walking with me as I begin to head to the car again. "I...trust you."

(And that maybe makes me feel amazing.)

I open the door and throw Annie's duffle in the back seat, shaking my head quietly at Ally. As soon as Annie gets in, I shut her door and run to the driver's side.

**Let her make the first move**, I text Ally, and she nods a minute later.

"Alright," I say, cutting the awkward in the air. "Lets go home."

/ /

Annie doesn't talk on the ride home; so we're silent for the odd number of hours it takes to get back to the apartment.

"I'm going to warn you now," I say to my sister as we finally get out, late at night, "we moved to a not-so-nice neighborhood after dad left. So just be prepared for that."

"Okay," She whispers, and I don't know what else to say to make her feel better. Ally went ahead to talk to Dez and possibly clear things with my mom, but knowing our luck, my mom will freak out anyway.

I feel a small hand grab my own and I look down at Anne, who blushes and shrugs.

"Don't worry," I say warmly, smiling at my sister. "I've got you."

It doesn't take more than two minutes to climb the stairs, but tonight, it feels like an eternity. Finally, however, we reach our faded red door, and Dez greets us on our way in.

"Mimi's asleep," He whispers, then points to the couch. "Ally and I fixed that up. I don't know if you want Annie to sleep out here or..." He trails off, looking up and down at my sister, and confusion is evident in his eyes but he masks it.

"Thanks," I whisper back, tugging Annie inside. "I owe you a big one, man."

"We can play poker with walnuts and get even," He says, winking, and lets himself out.

"Alright," I say quietly, dropping Annie's duffle on the floor. "How do we want to-"

"Austin!" My mom yells, rushing out in her bathrobe. "What on earth is going on here?" My mom flicks the lights on to get a better look at Annie, and we all hold our breath.

"Austin," She says, deadly quiet, "explain why a girl is in our living room."

"Uh," I begin, but she cuts me off.

"Why do I sense a theme here?" She asks, high-pitched and hysterical.

"Uh-"

"You can't keep bringing girls home so early in the morning!" She yells, squinting at Annie, and looking around until she spots Ally, moving to hold her.

"This is TWICE now that you've brought a girl home at three in the morning, young man, and the first one you married, don't tell me you got this one pregnant, because I swear to god I will adopt Ally and kick you out-" She holds Ally close as she rants, and my wife looks torn between shock and amusement.

"Mommy," Annie whispers, fiddling with her hands.

"And you, what are you doing - wait," my mom says slowly, dropping her slim arm from Ally's shoulders. "Did you say...did you call me, uh, Mommy?"

"Momma," Annie repeats, close to tears, and I squeeze her hand in support. "It's me."

"Annie?" My mom gasps, rushing over but not touching either of us. Her eyes cut to me and I nod slowly, smiling softly. "My baby," My mom wails, bursting into tears on the spot. I notice Ally give us a thumbs-up and slip into our bedroom, and I blow her a kiss and mouth _'thank you.'_

"My babies," My mom blubbers, clutching both of us closely. "Together again, my babies, I love you both."

"Momma," Annie sniffles into Mom's shoulder, and I stay silent, but hold the both of them tightly to me; if I'm here, they won't get hurt. If I'm here, we're all together again.

"We're here," I murmur, kissing the side of Mom's head. "We're home."

/ /

**Stay safe**

**Xx**


	20. I Wanna Hold Your Hand

**Disclaimer: Nooope.**

**20**

**I wanna hold your hand. **

**AN: Couple of you asked why this story is called 3:15 AM It's explained in Chapter 11, plus she showed up at his house at 3 in the morning, and so did Annie. :) x**

/ /

"You drove all the way to _Tallahassee?" _My mom shrieks ,though it's muted due to the hour of the night. "Unbelievable."

"I had to," I say firmly, refusing to hear anything else.

"You've got a good brother there," Mom says gently, then yawns. "We can continue this in the morning, or I guess later today. Austin, do you have work today?"

"No," I reply, "I don't."

"Alright, well, we should all get to sleep. How should we...?" My mom trails off and nods toward our bedroom door.

"Oh, right," I say quickly. "Um. Annie, do you want to sleep with Mom? Do you want my bed, do you want me to sleep with you out here?" I ask, rubbing the back of my neck, and Annie shrugs.

"I'll take the couch, I don't want to bother you guys anymore than I already have," She apologizes, and my mom gently scolds her.

"You're our family, nothing is a bother. Understand?" She asks, then yawns. "Goodnight, my beautiful babies. I love you both."

"Love you too," We chorus, and her bedroom door clicks shit, only leaving a trail of her perfume behind her.

"Do you want me to stay out here with you?" I ask, and Annie bites her lip, staring up at me underneath her bangs. "It's alright if you want me to," I assure her, and she nods quickly.

"Alright, I'll get changed. You have something to sleep in? Sweats probably, it gets cold here at night."

"Yeah, I've got sweats," she replies, pulling them out of her duffle bag. I direct her to the bathroom to change and duck into our room, where Ally is already asleep.

"Hey," I whisper, kissing her forehead. "Goodnight, I love you."

"You sleeping out there tonight?" She asks, eyes still shut, and I move her hair out of her face.

"Yeah, I think she's a bit scared to be alone," I reply, tugging my shirt over my head and replacing it with a softer one. "Are you going to be alright in here?"

"Yeah," She yawns, "Go be your sister's hero. I'll be fine."

"You're the best," I smile, yawning as well. "Love you."

"Love you too," She mumbles, pulling the covers up to her shoulders, leaving me free to exit.

"Annie?" I call softly, only to see her already asleep on the couch. I chuckle, and pull a blanket over her; unfortunately, she wakes up. "Hey," I laugh. "I'll be right here okay? Look down to the floor if you need me, okay?"

"The floor?" She mumbles, a sleepy sort of shock.

"Yeah," I whisper. "Go to sleep, I'll be right here."

"Oh. Okay," She says slowly, laying back on the couch again.

The room is silent for a long time, and then I hear her speak up again.

"Austin?" She asks, and I yawn but answer.

"Mhm?"

"Thank you."

"Of course," I reply, no other answer needed. "I'm always going to be your big brother, no matter how far away you move or how much you dye your hair. And that means I'll still do anything for you."

**/ / Ally / /**

I woke up and heard Austin singing softly; walking out to the living room, I saw him playing the guitar, his hair all crazy from sleeping.

"Where's Annie?" I asked, yawning, and he sets the guitar away to come give me a kiss.

"Mom took her to breakfast," He explained, pulling me into his lap. "Hey, about last night, thanks for...being cool about everything."

"Don't mention it," I laugh, tucking my head on his shoulder. "She's not the first girl to come here in the early hours of the morning, I get how it works," I tease, and he just shakes his head at me. "What were you playing?"

"Fleetwood Mac song," He replies, grabbing his guitar again.

"Can I hear it?" I ask, and he nods, situating us so he can still play guitar with me in his lap.

_"If you wake up and don't want to smile,_

_If it takes just a little while,_

_Open your eyes and look at the day,_

_You'll see things in a different way._

_Don't stop, thinking about tomorrow,_

_Don't stop, it'll soon be here,_

_It'll be, better than before,_

_Yesterday's gone, yesterday's gone."_

"That's a good one," I agree, leaning back and closing my eyes. "Appropriate for right now, hm?"

"Yeah," he murmurs. "So...how long should I wait until I tell Annie that I've got a wife?"

"Well, I'm pretty sure she'll notice that I live here," I add, shrugging. "I don't really know. Maybe this is an ask your mom situation."

"Maybe," He shrugs. "Give me another song to play."

"How about one I've never heard before?" I ask, and he agrees, quickly strumming a melody out.

"This is 'I'm the Only One,'" He says, still strumming. "My mom's a big fan of Melissa Etheridge."

_"But I'm the only one_

_Who'll walk across the fire for you_

_I'm the only one_

_Who'll drown in my desire for you_

_It's only fear that makes you run_

_The demons that you're hiding from_

_When all your promises are gone_

_I'm the only one"_

"Ooh, Melissa Etheridge," A voice calls, and we both turn to see Mimi and Annie walking through the door. "Sounds good boo," Mimi compliments, ruffling his hair. "You're such a good singer."

"Mom," Austin flushes, but gives her a kiss anyway. "Do you have to work today?"

Mimi sighs and checks her watch, nodding. "Mhm, you know I've been taking extra shifts. But, well Annie, I should be staying here, huh?"

"I'll take your shift," I speak up, grabbing Mimi's apron off of it's hook.

"You have to work all day," Austin protests, and I shrug. "It's not a big deal, how long is your shift?"

"It's ten to three," Mimi answers, but shakes her head. "Ally, you don't have to-"

"I want to," I say truthfully. "It won't be a bother. You guys should spend the day catching up and everything."

"Thank you, dear," Mimi says, smiling a watery smile and giving me a kiss. "You're such a sweetheart."

"Don't mention it. I'll tell you all the diner gossip when I get back, yeah?" I quickly change and grab a banana for breakfast, and Austin offers to drop me off at the diner.

"That was nice of you," He says on the ride over, and I shrug. "No, really, my mom appreciates it. I do too."

"Yeah, yeah," I laugh, kissing his cheek. "Have a good day with your sister, alright? Love you."

"Love you too," He calls, then grabs my hand. "I'll be back at three to pick you up and take you to the Starr's house, okay?"

"Sounds good," I agree, and Austin reluctantly drives off. I know he hates that his mom works here, and it probably drives him insane that I'm here, too. The diner, Oh Fork, is in a particularly seedy part of town, and frequented by truck drivers making pit stops.

"Hey," I say to Mimi's friend Louisa once I get in. "I'm covering Mimi's shift today."

"Hi Ally!" She says cheerfully, bounding over to wrap me in a hug. "How are you, sweetpea?"

"I'm good, how about you?" I ask, batting her thick, curly hair out of my face.

"We're really busy today," She says tiredly, tying her hair back. "And we're a little bit short today, Helena never showed up. So tie your apron, girl! Oh, why's Mimi gone? Is she sick?"

"No," I say slowly, tying the apron strings together. "She's...there was a family thing," I say, not knowing how much to say. Luckily, Louisa catches the hint and nods, putting the diner uniform hat on my head and sending me off to a table of 4 teenagers.

"Hey, what can I get for you today?" I ask cheerfully, looking straight into the eyes of...Trent. Shit.

"Well look who it is," He snarls, and his friends laugh. "Moon's little whore."

"I'm not in the mood," I snap, pushing my bangs out of my face. "What do you want?"

"Coke, and the bacon pancakes with a side of extra bacon," He says, slapping his sticky menu into my hand. "And be quick about it."

I take his friends' orders and walk away, rolling my eyes. I hand the order slip to Bobby, the cook, and head out to my next table.

"Well hey there sugar," The older man says, and I cringe.

"Hi, what can I get you?" I ask, trying to be polite, but his greasy hair isn't making things any better.

"How about something not on the menu?" He leers, and I take a step back.

"Just order, please," I say with a tight smile, and he grumbles before ordering a short stack. As I turn to leave, I feel a slap on my butt and gasp. Whirling around, I point my pen at him. "_Excuse me?" _I yell, but Louisa guides me away before I can say more.

"Did you, did you see-" I splutter, slamming my notepad on the countertop. "Unbelievable!"

"I know," She soothes me, handing the order to Bobby, "but that's how it is here. It's not fair, but that's what we deal with, and if you yell, the customer complains, and you get fired. Or in your case, Mimi."

"This happens all the time?" I gasp, and my admiration for my mother-in-law rockets through the roof. I wouldn't be able to handle that- although, maybe I shouldn't be admiring her, because she _shouldn't _have to deal with it. "Someone should say something!"

"That boy of yours, Austin, he made a scene one time, and Mimi barely kept her job. Listen, I'll cover that table, okay? You're doing great," Louisa encourages me, and I sigh.

"It's fine, you'e got your own tables. Just give me a minute." I lean against the counter and breathe, before composing myself and stacking Trent's table's orders on my tray.

Pasting a smile on my face, I set them down in front of the boys and wipe my hands. "There you go, boys. Enjoy."

"Ally?" Trent calls, and I turn around, exhausted already. "Where's my syrup?"

"Coming right up," I bite out, thinking that I'd rather throw the syrup _at _him.

"Here," I mutter, passing him the syrup. "Anything else I can get you?"

Trent leers at me and shakes his head. "You can go now."

"Gee, thanks," I sigh, and gather the creep's pancakes out of the kitchen.

"Here you are," I say, fake cheer in my voice. "Anything else I can get for you?"

"You, out of that uniform," He says, and I roll my eyes.

"Alright then," I say, walking back into the kitchen to grab the water for the next table, a young man who just walked in.

I walk back out of the swinging doors and set it in front of him, not looking at his face. "Hi!" He says cheerfully, and I jump.

"_Dez?" _I shriek, slamming the water in shock. "What are you _doing _here?"

His smile falters, but he clears his throat and answers me, "I just wanted some pancakes."

"Right," I snort. "And that translates to _Austin sent me because he thinks you can't handle yourself."_

"He's just worried," Dez says easily, shrugging it away. "Don't be too mad at him."

I deflate, then straighten up again. "I'm not. It's just...I don't know. It's just kind of insulting that he thinks I can't handle myself."

"To be fair," Dez grins, his eyes darting around the room, "this is a pretty shady joint you're working at. And he's been here before and seen how they treat his mom. I'm sure he's just trying to prevent the same for you."

"Yeah?" I ask, pushing my hair up again. (The damn strands won't stay out of my face.)

"Yeah," Dez continues. "Mimi used to bring him to work with her when she didn't have a babysitter or time to take him home. And as a kid you don't want to see creepy old truckers hit on your mom and slap her ass. So he's just beinf careful. Remember that when you inevitably confront him over this, yeah?" Dez squeezes my hand and shooes me away. "You've got tables to wait on. I'll just have toast, okay? Thanks."

"Thanks to you too," I say softly, then go to complete my rounds.

"That one's a good boy," Louisa comments as I pass her in the kitchen. "Austin was smart to send him here."

"You heard that?" I groan, but she shakes her curly head.

"No, sugar. I can just tell. Anyone in their right mind would send someone to look after you. You're a right china doll, best be careful."

"Yeah, well this china doll can protect herself, thanks," I mutter, then feel bad. "I mean...thanks. Sorry, just a lot on my mind."

"Don't you worry, darl'," She smiles gracefully and pushes out of the kitchen. "You're just fine."

Shaking my head, I walk back out to cover more tables. Only this time, nobody is seated at their tables- and Dez has Trent pinned to the floor.

"Dez!" I cry, dropping my tray and running over, trying to pull him off. "What are you _thinking?" _

"I'm _thinking_ that this _dick _better learn to step off before someone kills him," Dez spits out, held back by Bobby. "You don't talk about _either _of them that way, you hear me?"

"Dez," I say quietly, ignoring Trent's shouts. "Maybe you'd better go."

"No," He shakes his head, "I have to watch you and there is no way in _hell _I am leaving you with _him."_

"What did he do this time?" I groan, and Dez just shakes his head.

"Fuck this, I'm out of here," Trent shouts, but I move to block him. "Yes?" He glares, but I stand my ground.

"Hi, uh, you need to pay. For your food." I say, and Louisa makes an impressed noise from behind me.

"I got beat up and you want me to _pay_?" He scoffs, and I roll my eyes.

"Uh, yeah actually," I mutter, and push his chest until he's against the wall. "That will be 32.65."

"Don't forget to tip her," Trent's friend Adam adds helpfully, and Trent groans but pays up anyway, and Adam slips me a five dollar bill.

"Thank you!" I say cheerfully, waving them out the door. Spinning around, I face the assembled customers and blush, clapping my hands. "Nothing to see here, back to your knitting."

"Knitting?" Dez asks curiously, but I just slap him.

"I'm still upset at you," I say, trying to fight a smile. "What you did was completely and utterly unresponsible and-oh screw that, I'm proud of you," I laugh. "But try not to get in any more fights, yeah?"

"You too, Ms. Pay-Up," Dez laughs, but slides back into his booth. "I'll take you home, I told Austin I would."

My heart kind of sinks because I was looking forward to seeing him, but I paste a smile on and kiss Dez on the top of his head. "Thanks," I say gratefully. "I'll get you your toast, tough guy. Try not to smash a plate while I'm gone."

"No promises!" He calls after me, and I roll my eyes, but pat him on the head and swish away.

**/ / Austin / / **

"You've grown up so beautifully," My mom sighs, curling Annie's hair around her finger. "You're so gorgeous, sweetpea."

"I've missed you, mom," Annie admits, looking at my mom over her mug of tea. She's sitting, propped up halfway in my lap, with my mom and I on the small couch. (Still converted into a bed.)

"Why red?" I ask quietly, curling a piece myself. "It's beautiful, don't get me wrong. I'm just curious."

"Everybody already thought I was crazy," She sniffs. "Thought I'd just prove them right."

My mom cuts me a look and I shrug, tightening my hold on my sister. "What do you mean?" I ask gently. "You're not crazy."

She snorts, setting her mug down, and shaking her head. "I was a girl who lived with the richest family in town and came to school every day looking like crap. I wasn't allowed to have friends, or do anything, and I was basically forced to be an introvert. Jessica used me for free labor and I had a creep for a dad. I wasn't exactly normal."

"Well, I don't think you're crazy," I say firmly, giving her a squeeze. "You're perfect the way you are."

"Your brother is right," Mom says gently, reaching over and squeezing Annie's hand. "Although, you shouldn't have hitchhiked, sweetpea, that's dangerous."

"I know," Annie mumbles. "But I'm okay now. Austin came for me."

"Of course I did," I say quietly. "I would come for you no matter what."

"Like I said, you've got a good brother," My mom smiles warmly and gets up, stretching. "Who wants a sandwich?"

"I do," I say quickly. "I'm starving. Annie?"

"Um," She says slowly, blinking. "Yes please?"

"Does peanut butter and jelly work?" My mom calls, and we both agree. "So, Annie, I've loved talking to you today, but we haven't covered why you're here. Not that I don't want you here. _God, _I want you here, I've missed you for years."

"Um," Annie squeaks, grabbing my hand.

"_Do you want me to tell her?_" I whisper, and she nods. "Right. Okay, uh, so."

"Yes?" My mom asks, focusing on the sandwiches.

"Uh, so dad-let-his-poker-friends-sexually-harass-Annie," I say quickly, barely breathing. "And-Jessica-was-an-evil-bitch-who-worked-her-to-d eath."

"Language," My mom tuts, and then slams the knife down. "Wait. Your father let his friends sexually harass you?" She shrieks, closely resembling a banshee.

"Uh," Annie coughs, looking toward the floor. "Yeah. But it's fine, I'm-"

"I swear to God if you say that you're alright I will combust," My mom sighs, closing her eyes and breathing slowly. "Did they...ever-"

"No," Annie says quickly, shaking her head, "nothing like that!"

"Thank God," My mom sighs, resting her head on her forearm. "Alright, well, we can call the police, you can stay here."

But my mind flashes back to Officer Swift, and Uncle Richie had moved out to make room for Ally and I. I don't know how we'll fit Annie as well.

"Um," Annie speaks up, wrapping her hands around the tea. "Can we talk about other stuff right now, please?"

"Sure," I say quickly. "Anything you want."

"Um. Who's that girl? Ally? Because, um, Momma, last night you said something about marriage and pregnancy and-"

"Uh," I butt in, scratching my head. "Well. That's a really long story, and you know there's like, and the thing , and you know how it is with the, you know and the, like with all the things and stuff and it's like, things and reasons, and you know so-"

"Austin," My mom sighs, shaking her head. "Don't beat around the bush."

"Austin?" Annie asks, nudging my leg with hers, "Did you marry her?"

"Uh," I cough, then decide to tell the truth, "yeah. Yeah, Ally's my wife. We uh, got married in August, right before school started again."

"No offense, but...why?" She asks curioiusly, and I swallow heavily.

"Long story short, Ally's dad abused her and she was going to be sent into the foster care system if I didn't get her emancipated, and for that to work she either had to be married, pregnant, or in the military, and that is that."

"Oh," She muttered, scrunching her face up. "Well that was nice of you to do that. But uh, doesn't it suck to like...marry someone you aren't in love with?"

"No, 'cuz I am in love with her," I snort, and Mom gives me a warning glance. "Took a while but yeah, we realized we loved each other."

"Sounds like a movie," Annie sniffs, standing up to grab the sandwich plate from my mom. "That's...I'll adjust to it. It's a little weird, but. Yeah. I'm glad you're happy."

"Thanks," I say quietly, biting into my sandwich. "And for the record, she is _not _having a baby, so please don't ask."

"I wasn't going to-" She stutters, but shakes her head and changes the subject. "Um. Where am I going to have to go?"

"What do you mean?" My mom asks, shocked. "You're staying here!"

"You mean you're not going to send me back?" Annie asks, close to tears, and my mom rushes over to hug her.

"Oh baby, no," She cooes. "You're my little girl, I wouldn't kick you out on the streets or anything. I love you!"

"But...dad, and Jessica-"

"I will deal with them," My mom snips. "You just focus on...you just be you, and I'll fix things, yeah?"

"Uh," Annie coughs, "sounds good, yeah."

I check my watch and see that Ally should be on her way to the Starr's right now, and sure enough I have a text from both Dez and the woman in question.

**hey bro, ur girl is all safe, on way to starr's house. also, got in fite w/ trent today and ally did gd work.**

**On my way to the Starr's with Dez. Be good, I love you ! x**

"So," I begin, seeing as I have about seven more hours to fill with my mom and sister, "what do we want to do?"

"What if you took Annie around town?" My mom suggests, and I see that she's elbow-deep in phone bills and electrical statements. "I have to...figure things out here." I see the crease in her forehead between her eyebrows and frown myself, but agree to take Annie out.

"Yeah, sounds good," I agree, grabbing my sweatshirt. "We can walk around and stuff. I have a few errands to run anyway. Sound good?" I ask my sister, and she nods silently, following me out into the city of Miami.

"You said you had errands to do?" Annie asks, playing with the sleeve of her sweatshirt.

"Yeah," I mutter, turning into the bank parking lot and getting out. "I have to put my paychecks into the bank."

"Where do you work?" Annie asks curiously, and I tug her inside before answering.

"Melody Diner, I'm the entertainment. And then when summer starts I'll be working at the grocery store, they're hiring cart pushers. Here, hand me two slips, okay?" She does, and I pull two rumpled checks out of my back pocket.

"Can you tell me what the first one says?" I ask, and Annie squints before answering.

"Eighty-six oh three," She responds, picking up the other check to read.

"Great. The next one please?" I ask quietly, pen quickly running across the form.

"One oh seven and sixty three cents," She dutifully responds, setting both checks into the envelopes I hand her.

"Great, thanks," I respond, and go up to the teller to deposit my money. "Um, Annie," I say as an afterthought, "Can you go into the car and grab my phone please?"

"Why?" She asks, but I hand her the keys and she leaves as asked.

"Hi, could the first one go into my account please, and the other into my mom's?" I ask quickly, and the teller looks up at me before silently nodding. Alice- that's her name- grabs the envelopes in my hand and checks the names and deposit numbers, returning quickly with a form for me to sign.

"Thanks, have a good day," I say quickly, turning around and running into my sister. "Oh, there you are!" I say, feigning shock. "Thanks!"

Annie eyes me suspiciously but hands my phone over slowly. "Ready to go?" She asks quietly, and we both hop into the car without another word.

"Austin?" She asks as we're pulling out of the parking lot, "Why was Mom's name on the second envelope?"

"It wasn't," I respond, turning my blinker on and merging into traffic. "It was mine."

"No, it said _Michelle Moon,_" She argues stubbornly, but I shake my head.

"No, you're seeing things."

"Austin," She complains, and I ignore her. "_Austin."_

"What?" I snap, my hands tight on the steering wheel.

"Why did you put the money into Mom's account?"

"I didn't," I protest, but she's not buying it.

"It's your money, you should have it!" She argues, and I am _this _close to jumping out the car window.

"Annie, drop it," I mutter, but she refuses to take the hint.

"Does Mom need money, because if it's too much, I can go home-"

"_Annie!" _I shout, parking the car on the side of the road. "I told you to drop it!"

We stew in silence for a minute or two, and I refuse to look at her.

"I'm sorry," She says after a minute, and I shake my head, merging back into traffic.

"It's fine," I reply quietly, turning left to go to the park. "It's just...you don't need to worry about any of that."

"But you're my family," She whimpers, and I look at her in my peripheral vision. "I worry about you all the time."

"Look, sometimes Mom needs some help, that's all," I explain quietly, turning into the park. "It's nothing I can't handle. But she's not going to find out about this," I say with a warning, but Annie doesn't respond.

"_She's not going to find out about this, is she?_" I repeat, and Annie shakes her head. I sigh, park the car and get out.

"Look, let's just forget that happened, alright?" I mutter, helping my sister out of the car. "Want to walk around the park?"

"Yeah, sounds good," She replies, a bit nervously, and I sigh again.

"Annie," I say firmly, "I'm not mad at you, alright? I just got a little frustrated and you caught me off guard. Dad rarely pays his child support and Mom didn't get nearly enough from the divorce that she should have, and Uncle Richie isn't around to help her pay it, so I have to do it."

"Dad's not paying her anything?" Annie asks incredulously, and I shrug, shaking my head.

"Nah, he's been on and off for years, no surprise there," I reply, and it's not hard to admit anymore. "Dad's not around, so someone has to take care of things."

"I'm glad Mom got you," She whispers, so quietly I barely hear it.

"Why?" I ask, shocked, and she looks me in the eyes.

"Dude, you just gave her more than half of your paycheck. I think that counts for something. And besides, Dad probably would have...you wouldn't have lasted with Dad."

"Did he...hurt you?" I ask nervously, and she shakes her head.

"Nah, never physically. But sometimes words can hurt more than anything; and it's not like you would have been particularly good at being Cinderella for a bunch of stuck-up idiots."

"True," I muse lightly to take the edge off. "I never did like that fairytale all that much."

"But seriously," I continue, grabbing her hand. "He didn't..."

"No, they just got inside my head mostly," She admits, scrunching her nose up. "And his friends took a good interest in my butt, but other than that..."

"Jesus Christ kid, you're fifteen, not twenty five, they shouldn't-" I trail off, looking toward the playground where little kids are running around.

"You alright?" She asks quietly, and I shake my head. She walks us over to a bench, and we both sit down; neither of us says anything, but that's not what was needed.

Sometimes, you just need someone to hold your hand and sit with you.

/ /

**Stay safe**

**xx**


	21. Cold As You

**Chapter 21**

**Disclaimer: I'm really tired of doing this.**

**Alright so.**

**I won't be around for...a month or so. So I feel really really bad here, because this is a _terrible _chapter to leave on, but I have to. So. Sorry.**

**xx**

/ /

"Ally, tell us a story!" Kyle pleads, and I sigh, setting him down on the bed with his sister and brother.

"I've told you two already," I point out, but they all pull out the puppy faces and I sigh.

"Fine. What kind of story?" I ask, but Lily shakes her head, and I silently send a thank you to whatever cosmic forces exist.

"Sing us a song!" She cries, jumping out of her bed. I gently set her back down and tuck her in (for the third time), and tell them all to hush so I can sing.

"Alright, um-"

"Why isn't Austin here to play guitar?" Noah whines, and I am this close to jumping out of the window.

"He's busy," I say tightly, trying to regain composure. "I'm sure he misses you, though. And he would want you to settle down so you could go to bed, hm?"

"Sing a pretty song," Lily requests, fluttering her long lashes up at me, and I rack my brain for a pretty song.

"Alright, this is one Austin played for me this morning, I think it's pretty, yeah?" I ask, making sure they're all silent before I begin to sing.

_If you wake up and don't want to smile,_

_If it takes just a little while,_

_Open your eyes and look at the day,_

_You'll see things in a different way._

I move Kyle closer to his sister so he can snuggle under her fluffy blanket as well, and he whispers a thank you to me. I smile and continue into the chorus, ruffling Noah's hair as I do so.

_Don't stop, thinking about tomorrow,_

_Don't stop, it'll soon be here,_

_It'll be, better than before,_

_Yesterday's gone, yesterday's gone._

Lily's out for the count, but her brothers are both wide awake. I briefly wonder if that was how my in-laws were as kids; if Annie dropped off first, and Austin stayed awake. Knowing him, probably; he'd want to be the last to sleep, just like he is with me. He says that way he can make sure things are alright before he falls asleep himself.

_Why not think about times to come,_

_And not about the things that you've done,_

_If your life was bad to you,_

_Just think what tomorrow will do._

Noah closely follows his twin off to dreamland, but Kyle is wide-awake, and I smile at him before continuing on. I know him the least well out of the three kids, but he's a sweet boy, and he always listens to what I'm saying.

_Don't stop, thinking about tomorrow,_

_Don't stop, it'll soon be here,_

_It'll be, better than before,_

_Yesterday's gone, yesterday's gone._

I stop for a minute, but Kyle tugs on my hand.

"Yes?" I ask, surprised, and he blushes before whispering in my ear.

"Can you finish the song please?" He murmurs, his little hands atop my shoulders. "I like this song, my mommy used to play this in the car. My favorite part is next."

"Oh," I breathe, composing myself. "Of course, yeah." I smile at him again before finishing the song, and the smile on his face is unparallelled.

_All I want is to see you smile,_

_If it takes just a little while,_

_I know you don't believe that it's true,_

_I never meant any harm to you._

"That's my favorite part!" He whispers, his eyelids beginning to close. I laugh, ruffling his hair, and tucking him in further into the comforter.

_Don't stop, thinking about tomorrow,_

_Don't stop, it'll soon be here,_

_It'll be, better than before,_

_Yesterday's gone, yesterday's gone._

_Don't you look back,_

_Don't you look back._

"Night," I whisper, kissing each of their foreheads before turning the light off and slipping out of the room. I turn around, meaning to walk down the hall, and run straight into the six foot three solid mass that is James "Jimmy" Starr.

"Oh!" I cry, surprised. "Mr. Starr! Hello."

"Hello," He says quietly, his eyes flicking to his three children asleep together. "Nice song you sang in there. Got a good voice."

"Oh," I repeat, unsure of how to respond. "Um. Thank you. Very much. Thank you very much!"

"Is your...husband? Is he here?" Mr. Starr asks, and I shake my head quickly.

"No, he had a ... family thing," I murmur, and Mr. Starr nods.

"He's got a great voice, huh?" He asks conversationally, and I have no idea why he's talking to me at all.

"Yeah, I think he's amazing," I say truthfully. "And he can play guitar really well, too."

"Hm," Mr. Starr muses, stroking his chin. I stand, waiting for further conversation, but he raises his eyebrows at me. "You may leave."

"Oh, right, of course," I say quickly, grabbing my purse and running down the stairs two at a time. I pull my phone out and sure enough, Austin is parked outside, waiting for me.

"Hi!" I chirp once I'm in the passenger seat, leaning across the seat divider to kiss his cheek. "How was your day? How is Annie? Did you have fun? Is she nice? How-"

"Ally," He laughs, moving his hands in a shushing motion, "Calm down, one question at a time, love. First, how was your day?"

"Great," I say dismissively, "how was yours?"

"It was...good," He says slowly, looking as if he's chewing over his words, "little awkward, but yeah, good."

"Awkward?" I ask curiously as Austin turns into the parking lot.

"Yeah, well, spending so many years apart makes it harder to have a conversation than I thought." He shrugs, helping me out of the car. "Things will get easier, but it's still... it's not easy."

"What did you guys do today?" I ask, leaning against the car door.

"Sat around with Mom for a good part of the day, caught up on everything we've missed. I took her to the park, too, ran a few errands. Nothing exciting," He shrugs, leaning against the door with me. "Dez got in a fight with Trent, he said?"

"Oh!" I cry, nodding my head quickly, "Yeah, it was insane."

"What did they fight over?" He asks, wrapping an arm over my shoulders. "Must've been something big."

"I don't actually know," I say, shrugging, "One minute I was in the kitchen, the next, Dez had Trent pinned to the floor and crying for mercy. Well, sort of."

"How was working there, anyway?" Austin asks tersely. "I was worried, it's such a sketchy part of town."

"It was alright," I lie, pushing myself off of the door. "Come on, let's get inside. Have you all had dinner yet?"

"Wait!" He calls, grabbing my hand and pulling me straight into his chest. "Um, I told my sister that we were married, by the way."

Surprised, I gape up at him, and he rushes to continue.

"She's...alright with it, I guess. It'll take a little while for her to process the whole thing, you know?"

"Yeah, that makes sense," I say after a beat, "is she...alright, though?"

"Um," Austin sighs; he turns me around in his arms so we're facing, and he tucks his chin on top of my head. "I think more went on there than she ever let on, to be honest. I feel pretty sure that she hasn't been telling the entire truth."

"What do you think did happen, then?" I ask quietly, pressing my cheek to his chest. "To her?"

"I'm not sure, babe," Austin replies, shrugging. The action moves my head up and down on his chest, and I laugh at the movement. "We'll see."

"Right," I murmur, stepping back and grabbing his hand. "Let's get upstairs, yeah?"

"Sounds good," He agrees, squeezing my tinier fingers. "Hey, you never did say what you wanted to do, like, after college?"

"Oh, right!" I say brightly, taking the steps two at a time. "I was thinking that maybe I could be a children's nurse? I know school is expensive and all, but..." I shrug, trying to gauge his reaction.

"That sounds really good, Alls," He says sincerely, opening the door in front of us. "I can see you doing that. You're good with kids and all that..."

"Hi sweetheart!" Mimi calls to us as we walk inside, dropping her dish towel to wrap us both in a hug. "Ally, how was your day?"

"It was good, Mimi," I reply, squeezing her waist. "Although...I admire you for putting up with idiots like that all day. Except Louisa, she's not bad."

"I really appreciated you doing that, sweetie. You didn't have to-"

"No, I did," I rebut, shaking my head. "You're my mother-in-law, of course I did!"

"Well I appreciate it anyway," She sighs, kissing the side of my head. "I love you a lot."

"It's no problem, really," I insist as Austin walks into our room to change. "Although," I whisper, "some of those men are just awful!"

Mimi sighs and an expression of guilt crosses her face. "Yeah, dear, they really are terrible, aren't they?" She asks, rubbing circles into my shoulder. "Did anything bad happen?"

"Creepy old men, but that's it," I shrug. "Although I felt pretty violated, to be honest."

"Me too," Mimi sighs, running her hand over my head. "Me and you both sweet girl."

"What?" Austin asks, running back in, pulling a sweatshirt over his head. "Why?"

"Nothing," I dismiss, as Annie walks into the living room, a towel wrapped around her.

"Oh!" She gasps, surprised. "Uh. Hi! Ally, right?"

"Uh yeah," I stutter, shifting my weight from my left to right foot. "Hi, Annie, right?"

"Yeah," She mumbles, clutching the towel tighter. "Uh, if you don't mind I'm gonna get dressed because I don't really know you and this is kind of weird for a first impression, so..."

"Right, yeah!" I say quickly, moving aside and into the kitchen. "I'll just- be here or something. Yeah, go, uh. Yeah."

Mimi laughs and joins me in the kitchen. "What do you want for dinner?" She muses, sifting through the refrigerator. "Chicken sound good to you?"

"Chicken sounds great," I say enthusiastically, pulling out a pan to help.

"Not so fast," Austin snaps, walking into the kitchen to join us. He folds his arms over his chest and stands tall over his mother and I, a stern look on his face. "What's this about the both of you being violated?"

"Don't worry about it baby," Mimi scoffs, trying to move him to the right so she could gain access to the refrigerator. Austin glares, and she steps back after a moment. "Honey?"

"Mom," Austin behind, shaking his head, "I really don't like when you lie to me, okay?"

"Austin," I interrupt, but he shakes his head.

"Look, mom, you said things were better for you!" Austin nearly yells, although his face remains calm. "You told me work was better for you, remember?"

"Yes, I remember," She sighs, gently setting the chicken in the pan. "But I also remember telling you not to worry about things because I'm the mom and you're the son. Remember?"

"Yeah, and I also remember needing to be an adult because my mom couldn't do everything on her own," He shoots back, uncrossing his arms. "And that means I have to take care of you. And taking care of you means that I'm not going to let my mom make _stupid _decisions and put herself in danger everyday. So I think you should tell me what's going on!"

"You're not even eighteen yet, Austin!" Mimi yells, her glare creasing her forehead.

"Eighteen or not, I'm the only one around here with some common sense!" Austin shouts, "And no offense, Mom, but you're not exactly acting like an adult right now!"

"Austin!" Mimi snaps, looking as though she had been slapped across the face. "Bite your tongue!"

"Is everything alright?" A quiet voice asks, and all three of us whirl around to see Annie emerging again from the bathroom; this time, in sweats and a t-shirt. "Momma?"

"Things are fine," Mimi says tersely, crossing her arms. "Let's just have dinner, alright?"

"Uh, right," I answer, grabbing four plates out of the cabinet. "Sounds good."

Mimi and Austin don't talk to each other during dinner; She talks to Annie and I talk to my husband, but neither to each other. Afterwards, Mimi and Austin quietly slip off and I offer to the dishes. "I'll help," Annie says quickly, "is that okay, Ally?"

"Yeah, of course," I reply, setting my plate in the sink. "Maybe we can redo our first conversation, considering you were like...half-naked."

"That sounds nice," She laughs, and I can't help but notice all the Moons have the same one.

"I like your hair," I offer conversationally. "I meant to tell you earlier but we haven't really been, uh, dressed enough to talk."

"Thank you!" She laughs, her hands reaching up to touch her shoulder-length red strands. "I really like it, but everyone back...uh, there, hated it."

"My dad always told me I wasn't allowed to dye my hair," I add, setting the water glasses in the sink. "But I always wanted to."

"Why?" She asks, an eyebrow quirking up. "You're beautiful!"

"So are you," I offer, and she turns away, blushing.

"Were they fighting?" Annie whispers to me after a minute as we clear the table side by side. "Momma and Austin?"

"I think they're both just frustrated," I explain quietly. Mimi and Austin have since stepped outside, and we can hear their voices rumble through the door. "I wouldn't worry about it."

"They're definitely fighting," Annie says as a particularly loud part of the conversation carries through the thin walls.

"Let's talk about something else," I suggest, scrubbing the pan of chicken. "Did you have fun with Austin?"

"Yeah, sort of," She replies slowly. "It was a little awkward sometimes because I haven't seen him in so long…but it was alright, I guess. I really missed my big brother, you know?"

"I always wanted a big brother," I reply, handing her the pan to dry. "I was an only child." (Or maybe not, but my mother was never forthcoming with information or a brother or sister, so I'm an only child as far as I'm concerned.)

"I guess I have two big brothers," She adds after a minute of thinking, "my stepbrother, Liam, and Austin. But I don't count Liam or Hallie as my siblings."

"Hallie?" I ask, my lips twitching into a smile. "Hallie and Annie like-"

"Like in the Parent Trap, I know!" Annie laughs, shaking her head. "Unfortunately, we didn't get along as well as the two versions of Lindsay Lohan did. Great movie, though."

"You didn't like her?" I ask, hoping I don't come across as pushy. "Oh, I'm sorry, I-"

"No it's alright," Annie smiles gently, grabbing the plates from me. "And no. They weren't exactly a friendly sort of people."

"Why'd you wait so long to come back?" I ask, filling the sink with new water to wash with. "If you hated it so much?"

"Well, running away from home is risky for anyone, and I'm still pretty young. And Illinois is pretty far away from Miami. And I don't know," She sighs, pausing her dish towel in drying. "Guess I was scared."

"Of your dad?" I ask gently, and she nods, not looking at me.

"If it helps," I say slowly, looking at her though she won't look back, "I was terrified of my dad. And I still am, if I'm being honest. My dad was a jerk."

"So is mine," Annie half-laughs, sticking her hand out for a high-five. "Let's form a club!"

"Yes!" I laugh, slapping her palm. "The Jerk Dad Society!"

"I love it," Annie giggles, clutching her stomach, and I can't help but join in.

"It's perfect," I wheeze, bending over the counter and resting my forehead on my arms. "The JDS. We can be co-presidents."

"In all seriousness," Annie says, sobering up, "I'm sorry your dad was awful to you. I know what that's like."

"Your brother got me out of it," I tell her, smiling despite myself. "Although I waited a little too long to reach out for help."

"He said he married you so you wouldn't have to go into foster care?" Annie asks, drying the last glass I hand her. "It was that bad?"

"Let's put it this way," I say delicately. "I showed up here and they took me to the hospital."

"Oh wow," Annie breathes, finally looking at me. "Goodness, I'm...wow. I'm so sorry!"

"It's alright," I tell her, shrugging. "It's been almost a year, I'm alright now."

Another loud shout comes through the door and I cringe. "Uh."

"So I guess we're sisters-in-law now, huh?" Annie asks, loading the dishwasher with soap. "That's cool."

"Yeah, guess we are!" I say brightly, drying my hands on the towel and leaving the kitchen. "Uh...do you wanna watch TV or something?"

"Yeah," Annie agrees happily, sitting down next to me on the couch. "Do you like _Friends_?"

"Love it!" I reply, clicking on the sitcom. "My favorite is-"

"Chandler," We say at the same time. I stare at Annie for a minute before we both laugh at the coincidence.

/ /

Half an hour later, Joey has a turkey on his head and Austin and Mimi storm inside.

"Goodnight, girls," Mimi sighs, kissing the top of our heads. "Austin."

"Mom," He says, just as tightly. "Alls, Annie? You ready for bed?"

I look at Annie out of the corner or my eye and nod, shutting off the TV. "Uh, yeah," I agree, standing up. "Night, Annie."

"Night, co-president!" She jokes, hesitating before reaching her arms out. Surprised, I hug her back happily, and head to our room.

"Co-president?" Austin asks, raishing his eyebrow, and I smirk.

"It's a sister-in-law secret," I say lightly, tugging on a pair of sweatpants. "You don't get to know."

"I'n glad you guys are getting along at least," Austin yawnes, changing into sweats as well.

"You going to put a shirt on?" I ask, crossing my arms, and he's the one smirking this time.

"Why?" He asks, drawing the last letter out. "You want some of this?"

"Grow up," I snort, smacking his arm. "We're not doing anything but sleeping tonight, alright?"

"I know, babe, I'm just teasing," Austin yawns, collapsing on the bed; with a sigh, he pulls me down next to him.

"You alright?" I ask, cutting through the silence, "You and Mimi were pretty loud back there..."

Austin grunts, rolling over. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"You sure?" I press, but he doesn't answer me. "Look," I continue. "I, uh, I know you don't like that your mom works there, and I know you were upset that I was there today because you _sent Dez to babysit me._"

"It's a sketchy part of town, baby, I didn't want anything to happen," Austin explains, rubbing his forehead.

"I know, I know," I sigh, rolling over to face him. "And I appreciate the thought. But I _can _take care of myself, you know-"

"Oh and you did so well with that," Austin snorts, "that's why we're married now, isn't it?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" I cry, sitting straight up. "Huh?"

"Ally, it wasn't supposed to come out like that!" Austin says quickly, sitting up with me.

"Well what was it _supposed _to come out like?" I snap, glaring at him. "Huh?"

"I'm just _saying, _Ally," Austin says lowly, "that you didn't do a great job of taking care of yourself in the first place, and _last _time you told me you could, you ended up in the fucking hospital."

"Oh, and I suppose it's _my _fault my dad went psycho on me?" I shriek, offended. I hear Mimi get out of bed in the next room over, and I know this won't end well.

"No, I never said that!" Austin yells at me, slamming his hand on the bedspread. "Stop putting words into my mouth!"

"Well what _are _you trying to say?" I sigh, rubbing my hand over the left side of my face. "Because I don't think anything you say can make this any better."

"Ally, without me, you'd be in some kind of foster house right now! Or dead! I'm fucking tired of this!" He shouts, staring me in the eyes. "Face it, Ally, you can't take care of yourself, and I'm the one who has to pick up your fucking pieces!" Austin shouts, and I flinch back, shocked. Austin pauses, as if he's thinking, and then raises his hand, looking as though he wants to apologize. But to me, it looks like anything but an apology.

_"Worthless whore!" My dad yells, slapping my face with a backhand. "Bet you got knocked up today, huh?"_

_"No, no, I didn't!" I sob, trying to flinch away, but my ankle is busted and I can barely move. "I'm sorry, I p-promise!"_

_"Just like your mother!" He shouts, kicking me in the ribs. "Sluts, both of you!"_

_"No, d-dad, I'm sorry!" I cry, clutching my stomach. "Please, please st-stop!"_

_"Get up!" He yells to me, kicking me again. "Do I have to do everything? Stupid bitch, you can't take caare of yourself!"_

"I'm sorry I'm such a _burden _to you!" I yell, jumping out of the bed. I pull my boots on and grab a sweatshirt out of the closet, shaking from the memory. "I'm sorry you're _so fucking tired _of me. But I didn't ask you to marry me."

"Ally, that's not what I meant-" Austin tries, but I'm already shaking my head, trying not to cry.

"Oh, you didn't _mean _to let it slip out that you're tired of picking up my pieces?" I ask shakily, "I'm sorry I'm too _broken _for you, it's not like I _wanted _any of that to happen to me!"

"Ally, I-" He tries, but I ignore him, too upset to listen.

"I don't know what's going on with you," I say, voice wobbling, "But you're acting like the one person you promised me you never would be like. In fact, if I remember correctly, you promised to _save _me from my dad."

"But I didn't...hit you," Austin says slowly, and I purse my lips.

"No, but you're both tired of having to put up with me, right?" I ask, shaking my head. "Bye, Austin."

Where do you think you're going?" Austin asks, getting out of bed as well. "It's almost eleven!"

"Somewhere," I sigh, grabbing my purse and Austin's keys off of the nightstand. "I just...I can't be around you when you're like this, I-"

"Kids?" Mimi's voice asks curiously, and we see her face peeking around the door. "What's going on? Ally are you going somewhere?"

"I uh, sorry, Mimi," I apologize, shaking the keys in my hand. "I need to go."

"Ally, babe, I'm sorry!" Austin calls, but I push out of the room and down the stairs, ignoring the calls from all three Moons inside.

/ /

I rock back and forth on my heels before ringing the doorbell at the Fishers' house. It's about twenty seconds before I hear footsteps come to the door, and soon the familiar red hair shows up behind the wooden door.

"Ally?" Dez murmurs sleepily, pulling a shirt over his head. "I'm sensing a recurring theme here, sweetie. What's up, where's Austin?"

"Dez?" I sniff, trying not to cry. "Can I maybe stay here tonight?"

"Uh, yeah," He mutters, stepping aside so I can walk inside. "You sure you're alright?"

"Austin and I had a fight," I explain, following Dez into his kitchen. "I kinda ran off?"

"Hey, your first fight as a married couple," Dez jokes, but his smile falls flat when I don't laugh. "Right, okay. What was it over?"

"Uh, he's kind of been in a really weird mood all day," I explain, staring at my hands. Dez holds his palm up, in front of my face, and I pause. "Yes?"

"Quick question, sorry for the interruption, but do you want some coffee, hot chocolate, whatever?"

"Hot chocolate sounds nice," I admit, and Dez nods, motioning with his hands that I can continue.

"Right, uh, so he's been in a weird mood all day. He got into a fight with Mimi today, they didn't even talk during dinner and yelled for a good hour afterwards."

"What did they fight about?" Dez asks, heating up milk for us. "Mimi and Austin."

"Well I was telling Mimi about how work went, you know, and after Austin went into our room to change I told her about the creepy old dude and how I felt kind of violated, and then Mimi said she felt the same way everyday and-" I pause, taking a deep breath, and Dez smiles sympathetically. "And uh, Austin came out just as we were talking about feeling violated, and he kinda...blew up?"

"Blew up, like...how?" Dez asks, pouring chocolate powder into the milk and stirring it up.

"Like he got really upset, and started yelling at Mimi about how she wasn't acting like an adult or something? Like how she couldn't do everything and how he had to be the adult or something along those lines."

"Well in all fairness," Dez says after a moment, handing me my mug of hot chocolate, "For a long time, Mimi really _didn't _have things handled. That's sort of why Unvle Richie was around for so long. Mimi was kind of a young mother, and without all the money Mike's family was feeding them, she was kinda lost."

"But he was still really rude about-"

"Austin nearly got Mimi fired from the diner when he was thirteen," Dez continues, ignoring my interruption. "He was pretty tall already for his age, thought he was a big old tough guy. Went to work with his mom one day, got in a fight with the first guy Mimi waited on, and it was a big mess. Mimi's been telling him ever since that things got better, but she's been lying, to keep him out of trouble. Guess it finally caught up with her."

"But," I sniff, taking a sip of the hot chocolate, "Oh wow, this is good- but still, it wasn't like him to be so..._sharp._ Especially since Annie's around and everything..."

"So why'd you leave?" Dez asks, drinking his own hot chocolate. "Oh wow, you're right, this is good."

"Uh, so, after dinner Austin and Mimi went outside and we - Annie and I - we could hear them yelling. Annie and I, by the way, get along great."

"I'm glad," Dez smiles, then shuts his mouth. "Sorry, continue."

"Right, so, after about an hour they finally came inside but it was really awkward...and then we all decided to go to bed, right? And so Austin and I were in bed, right-"

"_Oooh," _Dez cooes, but shuts up at my glare, "Sorry."

"So we're sitting there and stuff and I was going to get around to telling him he shouldn't have yelled at his mom, but somehow we ended up talking about how he sent you to babysit me at the diner, and then he told me I couldn't take care of myself and then...yeah." I sigh, setting my mug down. "And then Austin basically was telling me that I couldn't take care of myself, and basically implied that I'm some kind of, of...like he had to marry me and-"

"Hey, hey," Dez whispers, setting his own mug down and wrapping me in a hug. "I'm sure a lot of things were said, and I'm sure neither of you meant it, yeah?"

"He, uh, basically said he was tired of _this, _whatever _this _is, and that he was tired of picking up my pieces," I cry, not looking at Dez. "I was under the impression that he promised to put said pieces back together!"

"You're alright, you're alright," Dez whispers, rubbing circles into my back. "Calm down, shh."

"I just, he was so m-mean!" I cry, aware that I'm a mess. "I didn't realize I was such a problem for him!"

"Ally, you're not, you're not a problem for him. He loves you more than anything in the world, he does," Dez insists, holding me close to him. "I promise!"

"Then why did, did he-" I stutter, not able to look at him.

"He's just really frustrated right now," Dez explains, "and I know it's not a good explanation and it doesn't make up for anything, but you have to believe me that he really does love you, alright?"

"Why's he f-frustrated?" I ask, my crying coming out in gasps and chokes. "What did I do?"

"Look, it's nothing you did, sweetie," Dez sighs, rubbing the top of his head. "But...alright, think about this. Austin's almost eighteen, yeah? Most boys his age, they're thinking about what colleges they're applying to, whether they're going to try out for college ball, what they want to do with their life. Austin's not."

"But he wants to go to college," I say in confusion. "We've talked about it."

"Yeah, he wants to," Dez says sadly, "but that doesn't mean he's going to be able to."

"What do you mean?" I ask, sniffling. "He said-"

"He doesn't want you to know this, alright? But he told me that most likely, there's barely enough money for one of you to go to college, let alone the both of you. Most boys, like I said, they've got all these options, and Austin is worrying about getting another job and making sure all of you eat and don't get kicked out. On _top _of that, he's got a wife when he's only seventeen - and he doesn't resent you, by the way- and said wife has a dad on the run who nearly _killed _you. And then, _just _when he thinks that _maybe _he's got things under control, his sister calls, who he hasn't seen for ten years, and he learns that his own father lets her get tossed around between sweaty old men who think her butt is cute and she's good to get them another beer. So maybe he's got a little more on his plate than the average almost-eighteen year old."

"Oh," I breathe, "uh-"

"I'm not saying any of that justifies his jerk behavior, alright? But I think he's kinda been simmering for months now and it all finally blew up, and unfortunately it blew up on you. Which I'm sorry about," Dez says, giving me a closer cuddle. "I think maybe we should get you into bed, yeah?"

"Dez?" A sleepy voice asks, and I turn to see my best friend walking into the kitchen, wearing a t-shirt I recognize to be Dez's. "What's- _Ally?"_

"Hey," I say, shakily, untangling myself from Dez to hug her. "Sorry if I..._interrupted _anything." Trish looks down at the shirt and blushes, giving me an unapologetic smile.

"Nah, nothing was going on," Trish smirks, "we were in between rounds-"

"Trish!" Dez shrieks, face almost as red as his hair. "Don't listen to her, we-"

"It's fine," I half-laugh, wrapping my arms around my waist. "Dez, is there, uh, a couch I can sleep on, or?"

"Ally, why are you sleeping here tonight?" Trish asks, yawning. "Where's Austin?"

"I'll tell you later," Dez whispers to her, then turns to me. "I've got an extra bedroom, come on."

"Night," Trish says, confusion lacing her voice.

Dez walks me upstairs and into one of the many empty rooms in his McMansion-like house. "Here you go," He says cheerfully, "Sleep well."

"You too," I say quietly, then turn to my left and hug his skinny waist. "Thanks. For being such a great friend. I appreciate it."

"Anytime, sweetie," He whispers back, "Anytime. Now get some rest."

"I climb into the too-big bed after he leaves, and I can't help but noticing that it's too cold without another person next to me.

I don't sleep at all.

**/ /**

**Ooh angst.**

**xx**


	22. Where We Land

**Disclaimer: Noopee.**

**Hey guys, really sorry for the month-long wait, my life is too busy for regular updating right now. :/ Are you all doing alright babes? How are you? How're your lives? Have we all started school yet?**

**Okay now that I've basically accosted you all with the Spanish Inquisition...onto the story I guess?**

**Sorry for leaving you all at a really bad chapter haha. This chapter is dedicated to **Kacey (**as usual lol what is new?) and **Emily (**because I love her and she needs love everyone tell her you love her.)**

**Oh also not to self-promote or anything like that but I think you guys should read my newest story **_when city lights dim _**because it's my favorite thing I've ever written yeah. x**

**/ /**

"For the love of God, would you just talk to her?" I ask, smacking Austin hard on the arm. "She's your _wife _for Pete's sake, you can't solve all your problems by ignoring each other."

"Trish," He moans, resting his head on his forearms. "I can't."

"And why the hell not?" I demand, and _maybe _it comes out as more of a shriek than anything, but that is beside the point. "Look, you really messed up, you really, really did. But that doesn't mean you can't fix things."

"She won't talk to me," He mumbles into his arms, and I have to strain my ears to hear him at all.

"For the record, dude, I wouldn't be talking to you either," Dez calls out helpfully, his words impeded due to his mouthful of hamburger. "You were kind of an asshole."

I glare at Dez, because if he thinks he's helping the situation, then he has another thing coming. I sigh, turning back to the near-lapful I have of blonde teenage boy, and run my hand over his head once.

"Listen," I say, softening my voice. "You did mess up, yeah. But you _can _make things better. I don't know how, but I know you can. You need to get off of your ass, though; stop feeling sorry for yourself, get up, and do something to make this better."

"She's going to hate me forever," He whimpers, and I groan.

"Austin, Jesus. She isn't going to hate you forever. Did you forget the fact that you saved her life? That isn't something that is easily overlooked because of one fight. But you do need to fix this, and a simple '_I'm sorry,' _isn't going to cut it. Right, babe?"

"Right," Dez replies, clapping Austin on the shoulder. "Come on buddy, let's get you to class or something, you're a mess. But eat your food first."

"Kay," He whimpers, picking at his burger and fries, moving the ketchup around the plate. "My mom's barely speaking to me."

"She loves Ally," I say simply, grabbing Dez's hand across the table. "Hard not to."

"I love Ally," He whispers, and my eyes widen, because _wow he is a mess. _

"Yeah, I know you do," I say, squeezing Dez's hand. "So why don't you show her?"

"The big gesture," Dez adds, sticking another fry in his mouth. "That's what my mom is always talking about, she was always complaining about my dad never being around. He finally cut back his hours at work a few years ago, spent more time with her. The big gesture. Less pay, but he loved her enough to spend more time with her, you know?"

"The big gesture," Austin repeats, staring at his food. "Oh."

"You'll figure things out on your own time," I say comfortingly, rubbing his back before getting up. "I have to go, Ally's waiting for me."

"Tell her I say-" Austin starts, but Dez cuts him off, for once.

"No," the redhead says forcefully. "_We _won't be telling her anything. _You _are going to fix this. _You _are going to apologize for being an asshole, and we're going to support the both of you. But _we _are not going to fix this for you. That's up to you."

"Um," Austin chokes, startled. "Okay."

/ /

"You doing alright?" Dez asks me, the third night that I'm spending at his house. "Ally, babe?"

"Yeah," I say quickly, looking up from my phone. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just. Yeah."

"Long day," Dez agrees, plopping down next to me on the bed. "Yeah, I know. And it doesn't help when you're missing someone, does it?"

"No," I mumble. "It doesn't help when you're missing someone."

"He _is _sorry, you know," Dez whispers, hugging me close to his side. "He's just...well, actually, he's a mess. But he's trying to figure things out, to fix things with you."

I sniffle, not in the mood to respond, and Dez continues. "He really is a mess without you," He sighs, running his hand through my hair. "We had to practically force him to eat his lunch today, can you believe that one?"

I shrug, and Dez sighs again, looking me straight in the eye. "I know he was an asshole," He says quietly, "but he loves you, always has, always will. And I promise that he does want to make things better. I think the question here is if you'll let him."

"Maybe," I whisper after a moment, my voice cracking on the first syllable. "Maybe. If. Maybe."

Dez nods in understanding and leans over, kissing my forehead. "You'll be alright. I should let you sleep, it's eleven o'clock. Night sweetheart, sweet dreams, yeah?"

"You too," I offer, smiling after him. "And thanks. For letting me stay here."

"Don't be ridiculous, as long as I'm alive, you've got a place to stay with me." He flashes his smile - one I'm particularly fond of, Trish as well - and closes the door softly behind him. I let out a large sigh and flop down onto the too-big, too-empty, too-cold bed and curl into myself, checking my phone again.

**0 New Messages**

There haven't been any since the night I ran out, and I understand that he wants to give me my space. And I appreciate that, I do; if he had texted me an apology, he would be in much deeper shit than he is now. But part of me still hopes he'd extend that last little bit of hope and call me. Even a simple _come home, I miss you. _

I miss him, too. But this situation isn't up to me to fix. Not this time.

/ /

"We should enroll you in school," My mom mentions to Annie over dinner, her lips pursed before she takes a bite of broccoli. "You can't be staying home all day."

"Do we have to call Dad about that, though?" Annie asks nervously, fiddling with the hem of her shirt. "Because. Uh."

"I'm still your mother, darling, I can enroll you in school," My mom reassures her, smiling gently. "We'll get you set up on Monday!"

"Is it a nice school, Austin?" Annie asks me, grabbing my attention.

"Oh, uh. Yeah, nice enough. Some weird teachers and the food sometimes looks like recycled monkey brains, but it's good, yeah." I stammer through my sentence, and my eyes return to my plate of chicken and broccoli, but I'm not hungry.

"Honey, you should eat," My mom scolds gently, though her expression is softer than it has been the past few days. "There's no use in starving yourself."

"I'm not hungry," I say quietly, pushing the chicken around my plate with my fork. "I'm just not."

"I know," My mom sighs, resting her chin in her palm. "Have you…"

"No, I didn't even see her today. Just in class, but she wouldn't look at me."

"I wouldn't look at you either," My mom agrees, and I groan, shoving my chair back and putting my plate in the sink.

"Thanks for dinner, Mom. I have homework, and I have to work tonight," I say tersely, pulling my math book out of my backpack, heading for my room.

"You're working again? On a school night?" My mom calls, and I grit my teeth before turning to answer her.

"Yes, Mom, I do have to work. Because, and we've gone over this before, I'm married - or at least I used to be - I'm almost an adult, and your waitressing isn't bringing in enough money to feed you and me, let alone Ally and Annie. So yes, I have to work tonight." I immediately regret my words when I see her face drop, and I sigh, dropping my book down and crossing the room to the dinner table.

"Mom, I'm sorry," I say softly, wrapping her in a hug. "I love you so much, and I know you work hard, it's just...things have just been hard lately. I'm so tired, and school is hard, and I'm trying to save money, and it's hard when I don't even know what I'll be doing with my future. And I feel responsible for you all, because you're my mom, and Annie's my sister, and someone needs to be taking care of you guys, and I can't let anything happen to you guys."

"Sweetheart," my mom says gently, hugging me back, "you don't need to be an adult all the time."

"I do," I insist, but she cuts me off.

"No, baby, you don't. You need to finish your homework and get a good night's sleep and make things better with Ally. You don't need to work tonight, and you don't need to worry about me so much. I can take care of myself, and I _am_ your mom. I'm allowed to take care of you once in a while, you know."

"Okay," I murmur into her neck, not looking up. Annie has long since cleared the room, running a shower to give us privacy. "Momma?"

"Yes baby?" She replies, rubbing my back.

"Hold me," I manage, before I finally break, years of stress crumbling in front of me. "Please."

"Oh sweetheart," she whispers, pulling me into her lap, even though I'm six feet and she's still at five three. "Oh baby. Shh, you're alright. Shh, I'm here. Shh, I love you."

/ /

"Mom, is 600 dollars a month for rent a good price?" I ask the next morning, scrolling through the Internet.

"It's fair," she replies easily, though curious. "Although I'd bet it's not the nicest of apartments at all. Why?"

"No reason?" I say quickly, but I pull out my phone to text Dez anyway.

**Meet me Pajaro St. 10:30.**

He texts back almost instantaneously.

**The apartment complex? Why?**

I look up at my mother, cooking breakfast for my sister, and smile to myself.

**You said i had to make the big gesture. I'm making it. **

/ /

**I don't even know anymore but I just didn't want you guys to think I abandoned this. **

**Stay safe. **

**x**


End file.
